School Board Backs Bill That Could Reduce Student Testing

At its school board meeting last night, the Fulton County School Board took a position in support of Senate Bill 211, which would allow local school systems the flexibility to decide whether to use nationally recognized assessments in place of current state assessments.

The bill was introduced by Senator Lindsey Tippens, chairman of the Georgia Senate Education and Youth Committee and discussed during the Senate’s Education Committee meeting this week. If approved the committee, it will move for a vote on the Senate floor next week.

On Wednesday, school board member Katie Reeves and Superintendent Dr. Jeff Rose testified in front of the state Senate Education and Youth Committee and spoke of the need to reduce the testing burden on Georgia students. They also testified on the importance of providing valid, reliable and timely information to inform discussions between students, teachers and parents/guardians.

“We support accountability and the concept of testing when used appropriately," Rose said. "We believe testing is a valuable tool to learn where our students are academically and how much further they need to go for improvement. However, students and teachers throughout Georgia are overwhelmed by over-testing and the loss of instructional time. We advocate that assessments should be limited to only those required under the Every Student Succeeds Act.”

The current state assessment model tests at the end of the school year, with results coming back far too late for teachers to address.

“When passing ESSA, the new federal education law, Congress expressly wanted to return control and decision making to the local Boards of Education across the country,” said Reeves. “This bill would allow local districts in Georgia to determine the best assessment for their students. It would allow Georgia to live up to the true spirit of the law."

If Senate Bill 211 passes the Senate floor it will move to the Georgia House of Representative’s Education committee for a similar review. If passed by that committee and then the full House, it would go to Governor Nathan Deal to sign or veto.

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