Well, sort of.
It will never be described as such in the media pages, but California's bid to end federally mandated testing as we know it is not making the feds happy.
In a terse statement, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan threatened with cutting funds to California if a bill that would stop testing for students becomes law.
"If California moves forward with a plan that fails to assess all its
students, as required by federal law, the Department will be forced to
take action, which could include withholding funds from the state," Duncan said in the statement.
As some of you remember, California top educators last week announced their support for ending all STAR testing as of this coming spring in order to help teachers have a smoother transition towards Common Core. Here's a story I wrote about it.
Apparently, the news did not sit well with Arne, who promised action on the eve of the vote.
California Supt. of Schools Tom Torlakson was quick to reply that California would do "what's right for California's children." Then he ginned support from his friends, San Diego County Superintendent of Schools and the superintendent of the Long Beach Unified School District, who issued statements saying they have Torlakson's back.
Ah, this back and forth is fascinating. I'll have more on it in the print edition. Stay tuned.
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