WATERVILLE — Officials at Colby College announced Monday that applicants will no longer be required to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of the admissions process beginning with the Class of 2023. The change is designed to increase access for disadvantaged students, lessen anxiety over the college admissions process and place more of an […]
standardized tests
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine, Measured Progress sign $4 million contract for standardized tests
AUGUSTA — The Maine Department of Education announced Thursday it has agreed to a $4.16 million contract with a New Hampshire company that will develop online standardized tests for public school students in 2016. The contract with Measured Progress Inc. gives it the right to create math and English assessments for students required under state […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Legislative committee votes to throw out Smarter Balanced test
LEWISTON – Karen McClure-Richard, the parent of two Lewiston students who she opted out of standardized tests, said Monday she’s delighted the legislative Education Committee voted unanimously to recommend axing the controversial Smarter Balance test in Maine. The committee is recommending Maine find a new test to give students statewide. McClure-Richard leads an “Opt Out […]
Posted inLetters
D. Holcomb: Bureaucrats take over education
This is in response to “Commissioner: Test helps identify, aid districts” (April 19). Tom Desjardin, Maine’s acting education commissioner, needs to do some homework on assessments. The new standardized tests have hijacked the curriculum and testing in schools. These tests are aligned with Common Core. The tests did not come from teachers and educators. The […]
Posted inLetters
R. Sabine: Failing the students
In my guest column, “Time to get tough with educators” (Feb. 15), I explained that the SAT, a standardized test employed to reveal student learning, revealed that more than half of our high school juniors were not proficient in math, reading or writing. I placed blame on state legislators, teachers and other educators in general, […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Jaclyn Boyd: Government should not dictate if a child takes a test
I am going to share an insider secret about education in Maine — something schools and teachers are afraid to tell parents. Ready? No state law requires students to take standardized tests. This March, the Smarter Balanced exam begins for Maine students in grades 3-8 and 11. Parents might not recognize this test because the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine gives teachers say in evaluating whether they’re making the grade
FARMINGTON — Mt. Blue High School biology teacher Doug Hodum has been working for a year with about 20 teachers, administrators and a parent to develop a system for how he and his colleagues will be evaluated. The all-volunteer group first met a couple of times a month but recently has been meeting every week […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
‘Just Do It’? Brand names within NY standardized tests raise suspicions of product placement
NEW YORK (AP) — “Just Do It” has been a familiar Nike slogan for years, but some parents are wondering what it was doing on some of New York’s Common Core standardized English tests. Brands including Barbie, iPod, Mug Root Beer and Life Savers showed up on the tests more than a million students in […]