A simmering battle over standardized tests heated up last week as Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett sent a letter to parents warning that they shouldn’t opt their children out of state tests and local exams required by the district.

Though CPS has touted its cutbacks on testing, the classroom time spent on exams has recently increased because of the REACH assessments used to evaluate teachers. In fact, a Catalyst Chicago analysis of school assessment plans obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request shows that the steps to curb testing have apparently had little impact: Many schools are administering far more tests than CPS requires, and the youngest children are some of the most-tested.

Read the full story on Catalyst Chicago.