The HBO show “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” took on the issue of standardized tests on Sunday, criticizing the pressure it creates for students, teachers and administrators. Oliver made no secret of where he stood, pointing out that some test booklets include instructions on what a teacher should do if an anxious student vomits...

As California educators prepare for the seismic challenge of ushering in the new curriculum known as the Common Core State Standards, much of the worry has centered on student assessment. Legislators are debating whether to suspend the traditional California Standards Tests while students and teachers adjust to the massive shift in approach and material in...

People are still scratching their heads over what happened with California students’ test scores, which went down for the first time in a decade, as the state reported on Thursday. But the greater uncertainty could lie ahead. The plan is for all students to be tested on a new curriculum — the Common Core State...

Scores from statewide California tests taken by LA Unified students in the 2012-2013 academic year were only slightly higher than results from the year before. While the gains were more modest than in previous years, they still reflected overall improvement while the state average fell by a fraction of a percentage point. “We’ve outpaced the...