Seattle District Warns Teachers Boycotting Assessments

The Seattle Times (1/25, Shaw) reports that in the wake of the boycott in the Seattle school district in which teachers are refusing to administer the Measures of Academic Progress assessment, "Seattle school officials sent a letter Wednesday asking principals to inform all their teachers by day's end that they will be disciplined if they refuse to give district-required tests." Teachers, however, rallied Wednesday, saying that they "would not back down because the tests are an unreliable measure that hurts students. ... Seattle School Superintendent José Banda, at a news conference held shortly before the rally, said he did not intend the letter to be a threat, preferring to meet with the protesting teachers to find solutions to their concerns."