Orrin Hatch response

Dear Mrs. Moore:

            Thank you for contacting me to express concern with SAGE testing and the use of test results to measure student and teacher performance. As an educator, I appreciate the role that you play in preparing future generations of society and am glad you shared with me some of your thoughts on testing. I welcome the opportunity to respond.

            As you know, the Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence (SAGE) is Utah’s assessment system aligned to the state’s core standards. In your blog, you assert that placing too much emphasis on SAGE and other test results fail to actually improve the education of students. I believe that we should do all we can to teach children, and equip them with the needed skills to succeed in an increasingly global society.

            While there are a variety of thoughts and opinions on what role testing should play in measuring student success, ultimately I believe these decisions are most effectively made at the state and local levels with appropriate federal support. I believe with more local control parents, teachers, and administrators will be able to address and implement the needed changes in local schools.

            As choices regarding curriculum and testing standards for Utah students are primarily made at the state and local level, I would encourage you to share your concerns with your representatives in the Utah State Legislature and with state education officials. You can find their information by visiting http://le.utah.gov/.

Again, thank you for writing to me.  I hope you continue to share your concerns and suggestions with me in the future. If you would like to have regular updates on my work in the U.S. Senate, I encourage you to subscribe to my E-newsletter, visit my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter.