Today's Newsletter: Testing The Test

Looks like things are about to get real. Education Week reports that more than 4 million students in 36 states will take beta versions of the Common Core math and English tests this week. The only grades delivered, however, will be for the tests themselves: Did the bandwidth hold up? Did the test work well on a variety of devices? The NOLA.com | The Times-Picayuneis playing along with its own “Are you smarter than a 2015 Louisiana seventh-grader” contest by publishing questions from the test each day this week. If the comments at the bottom of this piece are any indication, the ire stirred by this topic has not died down one bit! —Kevin Hogan, Editorial Director