By Valerie Strauss | Published June 13, 2013 by The Answer Sheet
Consider this: On the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the test that is commonly referred to as “the nation’s report card,” Massachusetts students performed so well that the state ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Sounds good, right? Then consider this:
Massachusetts ranks in the bottom tier of states in progress toward closing the achievement gap for black, Hispanic, and low-income students, and, in fact, has some of the widest gaps in the nation between white and Hispanic students.
This is explained in a new report called “Twenty Years After Education Reform,” just released by Citizens for Public Schools in Massachusetts, a 31-year-old nonprofit dedicated to improving public education. The report looks back on the effects of the 1993 Education Reform Act, passed 20 years ago this month in the state, asking this central question: “Are we closer to our goal of equitable access to a high-quality education for every student?”
The authors conclude that two of the three major reforms launched since the law was passed have “failed to deliver on their promises.” What are they? High-stakes testing and Commonwealth charter schools. The third, a school funding formula designed to further the cause of equity in education, brought in more than $2 billion in state funding to public schools, but is now outdated and needs to be revamped. (It, for example, understates special education costs by $1 billion and has not adjusted for the growth of health insurance costs, the report says.)
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/06/13/how-test-scores-can-be-deceiving/
Montreal Teachers 4 Change.org 
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