Pioneer Institute defends MCAS as state eyes test shift

http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150917/NEWS/150915990



Tom Birmingham of the Pioneer Institute, speaking to the Daily News editorial board.

Pioneer Institute defends MCAS as state eyes test shift
By Brittney McNamara/Daily News Staff
Posted Sep. 17, 2015 at 8:49 PM

The state is gearing up to make a big decision on standardized testing in public schools this fall. As officials weigh a potential switch to a Common Core-based test, representatives from the Pioneer Institute are urging caution in abandoning the system they say has resulted in academic success.

The state Board of Education will likely hand down a decision in November on whether to switch from the current MCAS standardized test to one based on the multi-state Common Core standards.

The new test, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), is currently being piloted in some area schools.

In a meeting with the Daily News editorial board on Wednesday, Pioneer Institute’s Jamie Gass and Tom Birmingham, former Senate president and co-author of the Education Reform Act of 1993 which created the MCAS, cautioned against switching from the long-standing test. Instead, the pair recommended working within the current system for better results.

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http://pioneerinstitute.org/

These are the assholes pushing charter schools in Mass. - right off their homepage:

http://pioneerinstitute.org/featured/survey-proposed-voucher-large-enough-to-give-majority-of-low-income-recipients-access-to-religiously-affiliated-schools/



(on edit to add) and:

http://pioneerinstitute.org/better_government/guest-opinion-reinstate-the-snap-work-requirement/