John,

For decades, schools have been subject to annual federal testing requirements in reading, math and science. These tests have driven so much else of what happens in schools—with consequences like teaching to the test and crowding out art, music and anything that is not tested. These tests are inappropriately used for decisions about grade retention, graduation and teacher evaluation. And they rarely give educators useful information on how to support student learning, let alone foster joy, collaboration, creativity or problem-solving skills.

Now, a bill—authored by a public school educator—has been introduced that would reduce the number of federally mandated assessments schools must administer. Click here to ask your representative to support the More Teaching, Less Testing Act.

This bill would also quadruple funding for Title I to address the chronic underfunding of our public schools, expand and fund a program to allow states to develop better assessments, and prohibit states from using these tests as the sole or dominant factor in large-scale grade-retention policies, teacher evaluations or high school graduation policies, or as the sole factor in school rating systems.

For too long, the focus on punitive statewide summative tests has taken up too much of the already limited time and resources in our schools, narrowed the curriculum to tested topics, and contributed to the teacher workforce shortage. The More Teaching, Less Testing Act is one step toward correcting this problem. Click here to ask your legislator to support it.

In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President