Belleville School Board Takes Stand Against Standardized Tests

BELLEVILLE, NJ — The Belleville Board of Education took a bold step towards cutting down on standardized testing in local public schools during its last meeting.

On Nov. 18, the board unanimously passed a resolution to limit the amount of standardized testing in the district. The effort came after months of support for the idea from parents and community members, many of whom have been speaking during public comment at the board’s meetings.

Read the full resolution below.

Mike Mignone, president of the Belleville Education Association, commended the board for passing the resolution, and said it’s a big boost for teachers.

“I can’t begin to tell you how much this means to my members and me to have this valuable time in the classroom be focused back on instruction and not on testing and test prep,” Mignone said. “We know this decision will relieve our students of the unnecessary stress and burden that should not be synonymous with education. This is monumental. Thank you.”

• See related article: New Jersey Votes To Kill 2 Standardized Tests

According to the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), the resolution – which bears resemblance to a template they previously offered – is also an important statement against corporate profit when it comes to public schools.

NJEA President Marie Blistan thanked the Belleville school board for taking a stand against “money-making test profiteers.”

“New Jersey spends more time on testing than any other state in the nation,” Blistan said. “If we truly want to ensure that our students are career and college ready, we must create a system that cultivates the knowledge, skills and understanding students need to be successful in life beyond high school.”

Passing a standardized assessment doesn’t indicate whether or not a student will have successful careers, Blistan added.

“That’s why parents and educators alike are united in our determination to do better for our students,” Blistan said.

According to Christine Miles, an officer with the NJEA, less standardized tests would mean schools can “put the emphasis back on teaching and learning.”

The funds that currently go into standardized testing and prep could be reallocated to provide social, emotional and community-based supports to our students, Miles pointed out.

“If we truly want to enhance equity for our students and increase our standards, our policies and practices must match our words,” Miles said.

THE RESOLUTION: ‘TEACHING TO THE TEST’

The text of the resolution passed at the Nov. 18 meeting follows below.

“WHEREAS, the over-reliance on high-stakes standardized testing in district, state, and federal accountability systems is undermining educational quality and equity in U.S. public schools by hampering educators’ efforts to focus on the broad range of learning experiences that promote the innovation, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and deep subject-matter knowledge that will allow students to thrive in a democracy and an increasingly global society and economy,

“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, reducing instructional time, pushing students out of school, driving excellent teachers out of the profession, and undermining school climate,

“WHEREAS, students, parents, teachers, and administrators in New Jersey have been witness to a turnover in state testing administrations over the past 5 years, including NJASK, PARCC, and NJSLA, making it difficult to follow district and individual student progress and data due to the multiple transition periods caused by the change in assessments,

“WHEREAS, increasing numbers of parents, educators, and school districts are voicing concerns about the over-emphasis and over-abundance of standardized tests,

“WHEREAS, high-stakes standardized testing has negative effects for students from all backgrounds,

“THEREFORE, let it be resolved that the Belleville Board of Education commits to working with educators to reduce the volume of standardized tests that students must take and to reduce the time educators and students spend on meaningless test preparation drills,

“Let it also be resolved that the Belleville Board of Education commits to working with educators and other stakeholders to reexamine public school accountability systems in the Belleville Public Schools District and the state of New Jersey, and to develop a system based on multiple forms of assessment that do not require extensive standardized testing, more accurately reflects the broad range of student learning, and is used to support students and improve schools,

“Let it also be resolved that the Belleville Board of Education shall promulgate any necessary policies, procedures and guidelines to implement this resolution, and hereby directs the Board Secretary to deliver this resolution to all local and state members of the legislature, the appropriate members of the State Board of Education, and the Commissioner of Education.”

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