FairTest

The National Center for Fair & Open Testing, also known as FairTest, is an American educational organization that "advances quality education and equal opportunity by promoting fair, open, valid and educationally beneficial evaluations of students, teachers and schools. FairTest also works to end the misuses and flaws of testing practices that impede those goals."cite web | first = | last = | title = About Us| Publisher= fairtest.org | date = | url= http://www.fairtest.org/Who%20We%20Are.html]

Mission Statement

According to FairTest’s mission statement: “The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) advances quality education and equal opportunity by promoting fair, open, valid and educationally beneficial evaluations of students, teachers and schools. FairTest also works to end the misuses and flaws of testing practices that impede those goals. ”cite web | first = | last = | title = Fair Test goals| Publisher= fairtest.org | date = | url= http://www.fairtest.org/ftgoals.htm]

Five principles which guide FairTest's work:

* Assessments should be fair and valid.
* Assessments should be open.
* Tests should be used appropriately.
* Evaluation of students and schools should consist of multiple types of assessment conducted over time.
* Alternative assessments should be used.

University Admissions

AT Optional Schools

FairTest alleges that a standardized test (all students take the same test under the same conditions) such as the SAT or ACT "consistently under-predicts the performance of women, African-Americans, people whose first language isn't English and generally anyone who's not a good test-taker." [cite web | first = | last = | title = SATs Not for Everyone, But Reality for Most|Publisher = National Public Radio | date = 21 February 2007 | url= http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7418130] Fairtest maintains a list of more than 740 SAT optional schools. [ [http://www.fairtest.org/optinit.htm Alphabetical listing of SAT optional schools] ]

Other exams

FairTest also works to stop misuses of standardized admissions exams, such as the "National Merit Scholarships", which it alleges create unfair barriers to equal opportunity and educational quality by relying on test scores to award millions of dollars in tuition aid. Fact|date=June 2007

K-12 Education

FairTest also explores kindergarten through 12th-grade assessment issues.cite web | first = | last = | title = FairTest's main webpage| Publisher= fairtest.org | date = | url=http://www.fairtest.org/] It educates the public on the negative consequences of high-stakes testing and advocates for better ways of assessing students and providing accountability. It also works to remove state and local policies that require students to pass a standardized test (one where all students take the test under reasonably similar conditions) to graduate or be promoted to the next grade. It also has [http://www.fairtest.org/k12/Accountability_Home.html many materials] on authentic, performance assessments and their uses for teaching and school improvement.

FairTest's current focus is reforming the federal No Child Left Behind law to make it an effective tool for school improvement and mobilizing those who oppose the current version of NCLB to advocate for a better law.

Beginning in 2004, FairTest brought together more than 128 national education, civil rights, religious, disability and civic organizations to endorse a [http://www.edaccountability.org/Joint_Statement.html Joint Organizational Statement on NCLB] . Out of the Joint Statement came a working group called the [http://www.edaccountability.org Forum on Educational Accountability,] which developed recommendations for a new federal law that would:

* Improve schools through high-quality professional development for teachers and administrators.
* Involve parents more deeply in school improvement, and enable families to better participate in their children’s education.
* Continue to assess and report student learning, but base this on multiple measures, not just test scores. Expectations for achievement would be realistic, based on rates of improvement actually achieved by schools. Targeted assistance would replace sanctions. [http://www.edaccountability.org]

References

External links

* [http://www.fairtest.org/ Official website]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/04/education/04college.html?ex=1259902800&en=80f6fa72cf836164&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland College Board Asks Group Not to Post Test Analysis] - "New York Times"
* [http://www.edaccountability.org Forum on Educational Accountability]