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Testing/Assessments and Learning Standards August 15, 2014

NYSUT responds to latest round of student test scores Source: NYSUT Media Relations ALBANY, N.Y. August 15, 2013 — New York State United Teachers President Karen E. Magee released the following statement on test scores released Thursday by the State Education Department:

"While we are certainly pleased to see scores rising, parents and teachers know that students are more than a test score. These scores present a very limited picture of what happens in classrooms day in and day out, and amount to just a superficial snapshot of the teaching and learning that is taking place. They serve as another reminder that the state rushed the implementation of the Common Core and the accompanying testing before the appropriate supports and resources were in place. In addition, these scores once again remind us of the unacceptable achievement gap that remains. The best way to close that gap is not through more testing, but to provide additional resources to high-poverty communities where the scores show that many students continue to struggle."

For more information

  • Assessment Data
  • NYSED Media Release
Related article
  • Pro-public education activists protest Pearson and profiteers
APPR/Teacher Evaluation, Testing/Assessments and Learning Standards August 08, 2014

Teachers to shred Pearson contract in protest against privatization Source: NYSUT Media Relations ALBANY, N.Y. August 8, 2014 -

 Union leaders from across the state will shred a contract Monday in a grassroots protest aimed at giant testing company Pearson and others who are trying to privatize — and profit from - public education.

The protest by leaders of New York State United Teachers will be held Monday, August 11, on the steps of the State Education Department, 89 Washington Ave., Albany, from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.  During the protest, teachers will feed the symbolic Pearson contract into paper shredders. The protest - which will be joined by New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento and United University Professions President Fred Kowal, among others - is part of NYSUT’s three-day endorsement conference, where local union presidents will weigh the voting records and make recommendations on candidates for state and federal office.

NYSUT President Karen E. Magee said the “Public Education, Not Private Profits” protest is designed to call attention to the wealthy elite who are trying to privatize public education and profit from New York students, while taking away the rights of teachers and working people.



  • Click here to learn more about the protest.
NYSUT noted that Pearson, for example, holds a $32.8 million testing contract with the State Education Department, which prohibits teachers from talking about test questions or pointing out problems with the exams. In addition, NYSUT leaders will speak out against the hedge-fund billionaires and others from the far right who are trying to impose a corporate agenda on public schools and colleges while attacking teachers and unions, including new assaults on due-process protections against unjust dismissals.

New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.

November 1, 2013


Dr. John B. King, Jr.
New York State
Commissioner of Education
New York State Education Department
89  Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234


Dear Commissioner  King:


I write on behalf of NYSUT's leadership in  response to your October 24, 2013 letter to the field. We are heartened to see  the Regents have taken steps that begin to address some of the significant  problems with implementation of Common Core State Standards, testing and APPR.  SED's plan to seek federal waivers is a small step in the right direction. We  urge you to move these forward now to allow for developmentally appropriate  assessments for English Language Learners and students with disabilities.  Similarly, your proposal to eliminate double and sometimes triple testing for  accelerated eighth-graders in algebra - something that our math teachers  advocated for over a year ago - is a welcome  adjustment.


However, while your letter acknowledges  some of the problems created by the uncompromisingly fast pace of
implementation, it does not address their root cause or the enormous pressure  and anxiety consequently imposed on students, parents, and teachers. At the core of the widespread implementation problems is SED's failure to address the issue  of building system capacity to support and sustain successful teaching and  learning. Capacity building is more than posting instructional modules on a  website. It is an iterative process that takes time and requires meaningful  guidance. The initial course corrections outlined in your letter - and their  uncertain timeline and outcome-as well as the course corrections that NYSUT, AFT  and UFT recommended in our October 17, 2013 letter to the Regents reinforce the  need for a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences for students and
educators to complete the capacity building work that must be  done.


We  call on SED to actually listen to parents and educators and implement  substantive changes that are within your authority to make  now.
This is not about quick fixes - it's about the need for  SED to develop a thoughtful, transformative and supportive plan designed to ensure success. Educators embrace change-it is something that we do every day as
we make adjustments in teaching in response to our students' needs. SED's   implementation of new standards and testing should have been an ongoing  collaborative process. Instead, for the last four years, SED has failed to be
  responsive to parents' and educators' valid concerns or to make needed  adjustments-- polarizing and demoralizing parents and the classroom  professionals who are essential to helping students succeed. SED must now
  acknowledge and fix the flaws in the Regents Reform agenda through a  comprehensive plan that addresses issues of equity; unrealistic timelines; SED's over-emphasis on testing; and the appropriate use of test  data.


We  call on SED to address in policy revisions the variables at the "core" of what  the data collection over the decades has consistently indicated -socio-economic  conditions do matter.
The Regents Reform agenda, which committed to raising  student achievement and closing the achievement gap, is in fact worsening it.  Most troubling is how the unfunded mandates and ill-considered haste of the  Regents Reform agenda actually exacerbate inequity by ignoring the impact of  child poverty in both urban and rural schools. Tests scores plummeted  everywhere, as did the morale of students, parents and teachers, but the impact
has been particularly acute in communities burdened by  poverty.


We  call on SED to revise the state's unrealistic timelines and provide educators  with the time and resources needed to adjust instruction to the new Common Core  State Standards.
 
We agree that "students are best prepared to succeed  academically through rigorous and engaging instruction, not rote test  preparation." However, as supported by the literature, teachers need the  resources, time and professional learning opportunities to acquire the knowledge  and skills to make the shifts in instruction required under the Common Core.  Teachers need the time to examine the best practices, try them out in their own  classrooms and then reflect on those experiences with their colleagues. Rushed,  politically established timelines have benefited the "testing and vendor  industry" at the expense of instruction and student  learning.


We  call on SED to take responsibility for correcting its previous guidance - which has been the real driver of over-testing statewide - and support districts with  the time and resources needed to develop multiple measures of authentic student  assessment.
Specifically, SED must revise its guidance on Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) for the state's 20 percent of APPR first  published in September of 2011, which, coupled with unrealistic timelines, is  directly responsible for test proliferation and pressure to teach to the test.  SED's own directives to the field regarding student learning objectives implied  that pre-tests were needed to set targets. SED did not allow for the time or  resources districts needed to develop multiple measures of student achievement  and insisted on fast-tracking administration of SLOs and Common Core  standardized tests, a year ahead of virtually every other state. SED testing  guidance needs to be revised to encourage districts to develop multiple,  authentic measures of student assessment. Furthermore, SED should redirect Race  to the Top funds to support districts in this work through a formula that  maximizes the use of these dollars. SED's overemphasis on testing to the  detriment of engaging classroom activities and quality instruction is seriously
jeopardizing the potential of Common Core Standards. To reclaim a focus on  instruction, SED must clearly communicate that it values a wide range of  multiple measures which properly captures student learning.


 We  call on SED to ensure that the tests provide educators, students and parents  with much more information to advance student learning. 
State assessments currently are primarily  used for accountability purposes, with limited ability to identify academic
weaknesses. Assessments should provide timely, instructionally relevant feedback  to teachers, students and parents. SED - and the contractors it hires to produce  the tests - should meet the federal expectation of ESEA that state tests produce  individual student reports that allow parents, teachers and principals to  understand and address students' specific academic needs. The state additionally  has the responsibility to review the first year of data to answer the
fundamental questions parents and educators are asking: Does the data make  sense? Is it being taken out of context? And, is it actually helping students  learn?



 Finally,  we again urge you and the Regents to support our call for a three-year  moratorium on the use of state assessments for high-stakes consequences for  students and teachers.
School districts, burdened with the loss of 35, 000  educators in the recession and less overall state aid than in 2008-09, must have  time to concentrate on building capacity and fine-tuning professional development and support. A moratorium will help to advance the work that is  already underway and make the changes necessary to get it
right.


Sincerely,


Maria Neira
Vice President


MN/DK/zr/jd
c: Members of the Board of  Regents


 
In last week's show, we highlighted the controversy surrounding the  Common Core curriculum.   Last month in Poughkeepsie, a raucous crowd at Spackenkill High  School forced the State Education Department to cancel a series of similar  hearings.   After revamping the format a bit, they are now continuing but the  controversy remains.

 This week our Karen  DeWitt goes one-on-one with Dick Ianuzzi, the New York State  United Teachers (NYSUT) President.  In this preview clip he discusses how he  thinks Commissioner King and the Board of Regents have done since the rollout.   For the full interview, watch the show this weekend on your local PBS station. 


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