Testing More, Teaching Less - American Federation of Teachers

Time Initiative estimated that increasing time by 30percent (two hours per day) would cost an additional20 percent of average operating expenditures(Silva, 2007).A study by the Center for American Progress(Roza and Hawley Miles, 2008) provides a model forestimating the cost of expanding learning time by approximately30 percent (equaling two hours per dayor 360 hours per year on top of a 6.5 hour day over a180-day instructional school year). The national averageoperating expenditure for 2012-13 is projected at$11,081 per student according to Projections of EducationStatistics to 2020 (Hussar and Bailey, 2011).Based on the assumption that increasing instructionaltime by 30 percent (two hours per day) raisesexpenditures by 20 percent, costs would increase by$2,216 per student for the 360 additional hours (or$6.15 per hour, per student).The annual cost of testing for Midwestern SchoolDistrict (Figure 4A) and for Eastern School District(Figure 4B) combines: (1) direct costs for test purchasingand licensing; (2) costs for logistics and administration;and (3) time costs at $6.15 per hour, perstudent tested to account for instructional time lostto test-taking, test administration time with students,and test preparation.Midwestern School District: The annual costper pupil of student assessments in grades 3-8,including the cost of lost instructional time, isat least $600 per student. In grades K-2, testingcosts are around $200 per student. In highschool, except grade 12, per-student testingcosts are in the $400 to $600 range.Eastern School District: The annual cost perpupil for student assessment in grades 6-11,including the cost of lost instructional time,exceeded $1,100 per student. In grades 1-2,testing costs are around $400 per student andin grades 3-5, the annual per-student cost oftesting was in the $700 to $800 range.Testing More, Teaching Less 25