{"id":24079,"date":"2015-11-02T02:00:02","date_gmt":"2015-11-02T07:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/?p=24079"},"modified":"2015-11-02T13:16:29","modified_gmt":"2015-11-02T18:16:29","slug":"why-president-obamas-call-for-less-testing-might-not-change-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2015\/11\/02\/why-president-obamas-call-for-less-testing-might-not-change-much\/","title":{"rendered":"Why President Obama’s Call For Less Testing Might Not Change Much"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"President<\/a>

Pool \/ Getty News Images<\/p>

President Barack Obama recently said he thinks there should be less testing in schools. He admits his administration is partly to blame for the problem.<\/p><\/div>\n

Recently, President Barack Obama admitted he\u2019d made a mistake when it comes to public schools.<\/p>\n

Like most people with big news to share \u2013 he posted it on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“I also hear from parents who, rightly, worry about too much testing,\u201d Obama said in a video posted to the White House’s Facebook page.
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For more than a decade, the federal government has required schools to test students every year<\/a> and use those results to force changes in schools. \u00a0And since the late 1990s Florida has used tests the same way.<\/p>\n

The president now says he wants less testing in schools.<\/p>\n

To be clear, President Obama says he\u2019s worried schools are \u201cobsessing\u201d about testing.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s not isn\u2019t saying that public schools should get rid of the Florida Standards Assessments and other annual exams<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur kids should only take tests that are worth taking,” Obama said in the video. “Tests that are high-quality, aimed at good instruction and make sure everybody\u2019s on track.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president is asking school districts to limit testing to two percent of class time \u2013 but that\u2019s still 26 hours out of the typical school year.<\/p>\n

The reason Obama and Florida lawmakers are so focused on testing is parents like Kim Werner from Miami. She\u2019s worried her daughter — who gets good grades — still may not graduate.<\/p>\n

“Cause she\u2019s got to get a test score to get a high school standard diploma<\/a>,\u201d Werner said.
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Werner was one of dozens of parents at a State Board of Education meeting in Orlando last week pleading for changes to the state\u2019s testing system.<\/p>\n