Teachers in St. Paul, Minn., are pushing back against the crush of student testing by seeking a contract clause curtailing federally required assessments.
The unusual bargaining item is part of their contract talks, but there appears to be little chance district leaders will consent.
It’s the latest sign of protest in education against the amount of testing, much of it driven by the federal No Child Left Behind law.
Mary Cathryn Ricker, the president of the St. Paul teachers’ union, said too much time is spent preparing students in grades 3-8 for the mandatory reading and math tests. Teachers want the district to come up with its own testing regimen and discuss how those assessments are used.
