The omnibus education finance and policy bill (HF 630) is rumored to be debated on the House floor this Tuesday. In response to the MDE Assessment Work Group recommendations, the House majority has moved forward with a repeal of the GRAD exams and in their place is proposing a series of new assessments that better align with college entrance and give students real time information on their academic trajectory.
MREA is staunchly in favor of these reforms. We have heard our members argue for years that there are too many tests, that tests don’t deliver real time data to inform instruction and current tests don’t offer useful information to students about their academic trajectory.
The Opposition
Despite the wisdom of educators across the state, powerful business interests and their lobby are urging legislators to reinstate the GRAD exams, even though they don’t offer useful information to students, families and higher education institutions.
These interests argue that a high school diploma has no value unless a cut score is achieved on a test measuring a variety of state academic standards. Nothing could be further from the truth and Minnesota build a world class economy without such state diploma requirements.
Action Alert
As the House prepares for battle on the assessment reform provisions in HF 630, we urge you to contact your legislators, especially members of the GOP, and tell them why you support these changes to our assessment system.
Read MREA’s letter to legislative leaders to learn more.