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A consensus appears to be forming that American schoolchildren are taking too many standardized tests.Liberals complain that it’s being done to punish teachers.Conservatives say the federal government is intruding in local schools.The Ohio Department of Education wants a 20 percent reduction in such tests.Now, they may get some help in Washington.
Members of the U-S Senate Education Committee are in negotiations now to reauthorize President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act.It requires that pupils in grades 3 through 8 be tested every year on reading and math.Columbus teacher Courtney Johnson says once you include state and local standardized tests that adds up to a lot of time.“Eight year olds like my son Brady in Ohio - among the 12 tests he’s scheduled for this year - must pass one test on one day in order to pass the third grade. When was the last time you had something that high stakes in your life?”U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown says 32 percent of testing time in Ohio is for federally mandated exams while another 26 percent of testing time is for the state’s teacher evaluation system.He’s backing a Senate proposal that would provide federal money to help states be more efficient.“These grants would help reduce tests," he said. "They would help streamline tests. I think they would help districts and state boards of education learn so they could come back for other kinds of changes that continue to make teachers accountable but at the same time don’t burden the students and the teaching profession with far too much bureaucracy, paperwork, testing.”Whatever the U.S. Senate does may be a moot point.The House Education Committee on Friday pulled its bill to reauthorize No Child Left Behind due to a lack of support.