The bill to do away with exit exams in Mississippi has died. However, legislators aren’t giving up just yet.
“There’s a saying in the legislature that nothing is dead dead dead until we actually leave the capital, so there will be other opportunities that we may be able to tack something on to some other bills and we are going to be looking at that as well,” said Miles. “It’s just kind of disappointing that the standardized testing companies have won the first round of this, over our students, but the fight has just begun on this.”
Representative Tom Miles, said parents, students, and grandparents support the legislation and said it’s time to eliminate the state exit exams in Mississippi just like 37 other states have already done. Miles’ proposal would use the ACT instead of state test exams for graduation, and would also eliminate the history exam as a graduation requirement.
“This is an education process and the people are beginning to be educated and know that there are more options out there that the federal government has given us the flexibility to go to the ACT to cut down on some of this excessive testing and we are just going to continue the conversation as the year goes on.”
Miles added that he believes this will be a question asked of candidates running for various offices this year because it is on the hearts and minds of everyone across the state.
“I think people want to put their legislators on the spot this year when they are running and ask where they stand on state testing,” Miles said. “I think it’s going to be a major issue in this next election because people are sick of it.”
