The 74 Million – Matt Barnum
“Kids tired of taking tests and parents who want to opt out of them can rest easy, says the Obama administration. In the wake of a new report finding huge amounts of testing across the country, the U.S. Department of Education committed Saturday to working to reduce the testing burden on the nation’s schools. But don’t burn the No. 2 pencils just yet. Significantly reducing testing will likely require a more dramatic change than federal and state policymakers appear ready to make. The report, released by the Council of Great City Schools, surveyed 66 large school districts across the country and found that the average student sits for a total of 112 standardized tests during their school careers. An eighth grader, for instance, spends about 2.3 percent of the school year — or 20 to 25 hours — taking standardized tests. Because of the report’s methods, this is an upper range estimate. On the other hand, it does not account for time spent on test preparation or teacher-created assessments.”(more)