Dive Brief:
- In response to complaints about too much testing, the Colorado Senate Education Committee voted (4-3) to create a bill that would reduce the frequency of the state's new social studies tests.
- The bill, which would save the state $335,190 in testing costs in 2015, would require a sampling system to be created where schools would only be required to test social studies every three-years.
- Critiques of the bill are two-pronged: Those opposing tests in general view it as a Band-Aid not actually fixing the problem, but social studies teachers feel the bill undermines their subject.
Dive Insight:
Reducing the number of social studies tests may free up some days; however, the more important question is how those days will be filled. Given the current test-driven culture, there is reason to believe those days will just be viewed as more review time for the subjects that will be tested. Reducing the social studies tests doesn't ease that culture or student anxiety — it just gives a few hours back that can now be redirected for tested subjects.
Ultimately, the bill could just signal to students that social studies is less important.
