Hillsboro Tribune: Bonamici introduces SMART Act

News Article

By Kathy Fuller

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) introduced the "Support Making Assessments Reliable and Timely" (SMART) Act last week to address the proliferation of tests in the nation's classrooms.

The SMART Act includes a grant for states to audit their assessments and eliminate poor quality or redundant tests.

The bill also requires states and local education agencies to outline plans to improve the use of assessment data. These plans might include more time for educators to design instruction based on test results and steps to speed the delivery of test data to students and families.

"We don't need more tests, we need better tests," Bonamici said. "The SMART Act gives states and school districts the tools to ensure that the assessment systems are focused on improving learning."

Oregon chosen for pilot program

Oregon has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as one of eight states in a pilot project that will allow them to increase purchases of locally grown fruits and vegetables for school meal programs.

The "Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables" was introduced by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) as an amendment to the 2014 farm bill.

"This is a win for the local farmers who will gain new customers to buy their fruits and vegetables. And this is a win for the school children who will grow up knowing what fresh produce really tastes like," Wyden said.

This pilot program will allow the selected states to use some of their USDA foods allocation to buy unprocessed fruits and vegetables directly, instead of going through a USDA program.

Board member earns silver/gold awards

Kathy Samsel, Northwest Regional Education Service District board member, was recognized last month with silver and gold awards for completing coursework through the Oregon School Board Association's Leadership Institute. The awards recognize board members for significant levels of achievement in leadership and development.

OSBA is a member services agency for more than 200 locally elected boards serving school districts, education service districts and community colleges. It also provides services to charter schools and their boards.

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