Real Talk Intervention

Today's special episode was recorded live and on location inside a Senate meeting room as we prepared to give testimony against Texas House Bill 1333, colloquially known as The Teaching Over Testing Act. This bill, which aims to reduce the number of standardized tests given by Texas to the federal minimum while also drastically reducing the emphasis these tests have on school accountability, has been well received by the state anti-testing movement. We, however, stand with the many civil rights groups , the Texas Association of Business , and the many, many nervous and silent teachers who know that the anti-testing, anti-accountability movement's well-intentioned, but misguided, efforts damage the hard work educators are doing to create a more equitable society across Texas. To give a voice to all the educators across Texas who feel as we do, we traveled to the state legislature with the support of a non-profit educational foundation group called Texas Aspires  to...

The Teaching Over Testing Act introduced by Representative Jacob Isaac (R) of Dripping Springs takes aim yet again at Texas' standardized accountability measure - the STAAR exam. The act calls for reduced number of exams a reduction of the accountability impact of the exams district choice as to whether or not to use the STAAR or any other TEK-aligned assessment You can read more about the act here We discuss, with great passion, why this continued assault on accountability measures is so dangerous for our most vulnerable students. Listen to us here ! Music courtesy of The Creative Commons http://www.bensound.com