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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."
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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."
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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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.