North Fulton Council of PTA’s Resolution on Mandated Testing

Whereas,  the North Fulton Council of PTAs (NFC PTA) and National PTA (NPTA) believe that every child must be provided with a well-rounded, high-quality education, which will ensure that all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential and become productive members of society.  Access to a free public education is the most effective method of securing this opportunity, and should not be denied to any child; ¹ and

Whereas, NFC PTA and NPTA recognize to develop a stronger and more accountable system of education, schools must place priority on student performance and achievement; schools must focus on what children know and are able to do and be held accountable for ensuring that all children succeed, ¹ and

WHEREAS, our nation’s school systems have been spending growing amounts of time, money and energy on high-stakes standardized testing, in which student performance on standardized tests is used to make major decisions affecting individual students, educators and schools ²; and

WHEREAS, the over-emphasis on standardized testing has caused considerable collateral damage in too many schools, including narrowing the curriculum, teaching to the test, reducing love of learning, pushing students out of school, driving excellent teachers out of the profession, and undermining school climate ²; and

WHEREAS, the culture and structure of the systems in which students learn must change in order to foster engaging school experiences that promote joy in learning, depth of thought and breadth of knowledge for students²;

THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED, the NFC PTA and the NPTA believe that valid assessment does not consist of only a single test score, and that at no time should a single test be considered the sole determinant of a student’s academic or work future, ¹ and be it further

RESOLVED, that standardized multiple-choice tests and school readiness tests should never be used with preschool and early elementary children, ¹ and be it further

RESOLVED, NFC PTA and NPTA opposes federal legislation and/or regulations that mandate standardized testing or would lead to such testing, as well as federal policies that mandate comparisons of states, school districts, or individual schools and student retention based on a single test or sole criterion and the practice of social promotion, ¹ and be it further

RESOLVED, that NFC PTA 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, and promote multiple forms of evidence of student learning and school quality in accountability, ² and be it further

RESOLVED,  that NFC PTA calls upon the Georgia Governor, State School Superintendent, State School Board, Department of Education, and the Legislature to advocate on behalf of Georgia’s approximately 1,700,000 public school children for fewer testing mandates, and be it further

RESOLVED, that NFC PTA endorses the use of assessments that are a reliable and accurate measure of student academic achievement; and be it further

RESOLVED, that NFC PTA supports Fulton County Schools’ efforts to reduce the amount of mandated student testing and will work with FCS, the state of Georgia, and other partners toward this goal.

Sources:

1. National PTA Position Statement – Education Emphasis; http://www.pta.org/about/content.cfm?ItemNumber=1294

2. National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing, http://timeoutfromtesting.org/nationalresolution/