The LA school board president has criticized the standardized testing industry, leading to the possibility of 10 schools discontinuing these tests.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) passed a 4-3 resolution, allowing 10 schools to opt out of standardized tests and test preparation starting from the 2025-26 academic year.

The resolution states that once the schools create and implement innovative, authentic, rigorous, and relevant assessments, they will be exempt from standardized testing, except for state and federally mandated assessments.

Goldberg, who "hoped" for the resolution to be adopted before leaving her post as president, said that the measure would "begin to change how we look at student assessment." She stated that she is "not against assessment."

The official with 18 years of teaching experience explained the "testing industry," which annually spends billions of dollars to increase standardized test scores by a few points.

During the board meeting, she stated that "corporate America" had decided that standardized tests would be used to evaluate everything happening in schools.

Goldberg stated that the industry offers a vast array of testing materials, including practice tests, practice-practice tests, regional tests, middle-school-year tests, end-of-the-year tests, tests for those on their way to school, and tests that can be taken in the bathroom.

Goldberg, who is not seeking reelection and will retire at the end of the year, stated that standardized tests harm the "enjoyment of education."

"The primary objective of life shifted away from the pursuit of knowledge, the pleasure of learning, the exchange of ideas, and towards the school's performance on standardized tests."

Goldberg stated that he has found the repugnant for at least 20 years.

"We consistently prepare everyone for testing, but I believe we are causing harm."

Goldberg’s colleagues criticized the measure.

One board member who voted against the measure concurred with Goldberg, stating "declining enrollment" and "limited resources" as reasons for their opposition.

Nick Melvoin, a board member, expressed gratitude for what was being attempted.

"One challenge is managing various tensions within the district, as it is difficult to measure what you cannot manage."

He stated that we are entering a time of limited resources and declining enrollment, and we are trying to determine what works and establish a common language about what works.

"George McKenna, who voted no, stated that the university professors will not water down the content and will not test them. To work in the post office, one must take tests."

McKenna added, "Giving children the absence of assessment is not a gift; it's a political statement that implies we don't want our teachers exposed. They're not truly teaching our children to be competitive because standardized tests say all children in the country take the same test at the same time."

Rocio Rivas, another board member, read letters from fifth graders expressing their opposition to standardized tests.

The district must create a Supporting Meaningful Teaching and Learning Initiative, and up to 10 schools can demonstrate how assessment measures can be implemented locally by teachers and administrators. By doing so, school staff can monitor students' academic progress without being overwhelmed by preparing for standardized tests.

The initiative appoints a "lead teacher" to receive additional professional development from Community School Coaches and the University of California Los Angeles Center for Community Schooling.

The second-largest school district in the nation, LAUSD, has a student population of 600,000 and oversees over 1,000 schools. According to the resolution, the 10 schools must integrate culturally relevant curriculum, community- and project-based learning, and civic engagement into their programs.

The LAUSD superintendent's standard of evaluating schools based on test scores could be in conflict with the measure reported by the Los Angeles Times.

No comment was immediately provided by LAUSD officials in response to a Planet Chronicle Digital request.