A coalition of top Texas business leaders says it's worried a public backlash against standardized testing could hurt the state's efforts to hold public schools more accountable.
The Texas Coalition for a Competitive Workforce blamed teachers and school administrators for "demonizing" standardized testing, and panicking parents.
At a news conference Wednesday, coalition leaders said they would oppose increasing future state education funding if standardized tests are weakened.
They accused education leaders of demanding that Texas water down its accountability system while also seeking more state funding for schools.
Their call comes after the new STAAR standardized testing system was rolled out and roundly criticized by some superintendents, parents' groups and lawmakers.
The Texas Legislature last summer cut about $5.4 billion from school funding, even though enrollment increases every year.
