National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing

Here is the National Testing Resolution for people who would like to electronically sign it.  There are 8,886 individual signers, and 340 organizational signers so far.  I signed it.  I'm not sure it's perfect, I wish it was a state resolution,  but it is a start:

http://timeoutfromtesting.org/nationalresolution/

The deliverables on the National Resolution are as follows:

RESOLVED, that [your organization name] calls on the governor, state legislature and state education boards and administrators to reexamine public school accountability systems in this state, and to develop a system based on multiple forms of assessment which does not require extensive standardized testing, more accurately reflects the broad range of student learning, and is used to support students and improve schools; and

RESOLVED, that [your organization name] calls on the U.S. Congress and Administration to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as the "No Child Left Behind Act," reduce the testing mandates, promote multiple forms of evidence of student learning and school quality in accountability, and not mandate any fixed role for the use of student test scores in evaluating educators.

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The Florida Superintendent's Meeting is coming up and it has been written that the issue of a Testing Resolution is on the agenda.

12 School Districts have passed a resolution, and at least 2 more districts are in the queue for this week.  Florida has 67 school districts.  Broward County and Palm Beach were the first two to sign, with 255,690 and 172,831 students respectively.   So that is about 16% of  2,642,511 students for Florida for just these two counties (fte counts found in a budget file  -> I used 2010-2011 final)

http://www.fldoe.org/fefp/fte1.asp

Here is a link to a New York Times article with the mention of the Superintendent's Meeting, the article also has over 200 comments:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/11/education/florida-backtracks-on-s...

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We can't sign these next resolutions, but for reference, I've posted these two I have found.  The text of resolution is contained within the articles.

Hernando County's resolution:

http://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2012/06/05/read-the-hernando-cou...

Pinellas County resolution:

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/content/pinellas-board-appr...

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Here is a meeting agenda for the Florida Association of School Administrators that shows that Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson will be in attendance (click 'view the draft agenda'):

http://www.fasa.net/Conferences.cfm