This just in:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 2, 2014
More Information Contact:
Eric Mihelbergel (716) 553-1123; nys.allies@gmail.com
Lisa Rudley (917) 414-9190; nys.allies@gmail.com
New York State Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE) http://www.nysape.org
NYS 3rd Grade Test Invalid, Chancellor Merryl Tisch & Education Commissioner John King Must Resign
The leaders of the New York State Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE), a coalition of more than 45 parent and educator groups from throughout the state, are calling for the NYS 3rd Grade math test to be deemed invalid, since many questions were missing today from one of the four forms. This week, once again, parents are reminded of the grossly inappropriate practice of subjecting 8 and 9 year olds to 6 to 12 hours of testing over the course of six days. In light of the high stakes attached to these tests for children, schools and teachers, an error of this magnitude calls NYSED’s leadership and relationship with Pearson into serious question. This is yet another major misstep by our Commissioner of Education and the Board of Regents who oversee NYSED.
Commissioner King and the Board of Regents have been criticized extensively for not listening to parents or educators on the need to revamp the Common Core standards, lessen the focus on testing, and to cease and desist from thrusting one-size-fits-all statewide curriculum on local schools. And despite repeated issues with its testing vendor, NYSED has failed to take meaningful action, ignoring criticism from all corners of the state.
After repeatedly witnessing NYSED and the Board of Regents leadership fail to act within their authority, New York State Allies for Public Education now calls for the termination of Commissioner John King and the resignation of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch. The concerns of parents and educators throughout New York State have been casually dismissed at the detriment of their children for far too long.
“This comedy of errors has gone on too long. From the overly long, obscure and confusing ELA exams, with commercial product placements, and now with missing questions from the math exam, it is clear that the educrats at NYSED who have flunked, not our children,” said Chris Cerrone, Springville parent, Western New York Educator and founding NYSAPE member.
“While NYSED is eager to impose high-stakes on our schools and our teachers, where’s the accountability for them?” asked Jeanette Deutermann, North Bellmore public school parent and founder of Long Island Opt Out, “We need to stop the excessive testing and test prep, with defective modules and exams, and get back to educating our children once again.”
“Even as Louis CK has brought attention to the inherently flawed nature of the Common Core test prep materials this week, parents throughout the state are opting out their children in even larger numbers. In our school district, more than 48% refused to take the math tests. But it is unfair to all children and teachers to be assessed and compared with others through an invalid exam with missing questions. Enough is enough! John King and Merryl Tisch, resign!” said Stacey Serdy, Worcester Central School District parent and founder of Worcester Community for Education.
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It is unbelievable to me that this commissioner is still operating. No one is listening. What do we have to do to get them to listen and take us seriously. The federal government does not listen and neither does the states or local governments. I wish everyone in the whole state of NY protested the test then they would have to listen. It is a shame we all don’t stand together for the common good. I hope we can move in that direction because I do think that is what needs to happen. They can’t lead when no one will follow.
Zenqi, you are right. Commissioner King thinks he works for the Board of Regents, not the people of New York. The Board of Regents has immersed itself in its own press releases and its own self-praising propaganda. They believe what they tell themselves. They feel they have no responsibility to the people of New York, other than to tell them to do what they dictate. With the exception of Regents Cashin and Rosa, they don’t listen to the public. They see the public as sheep in need of their guidance and direction, to be controlled and directed, but never heard.
Diane,
Asking for the resignations is NOTHING. It will do nothing and will not get anyone anywhere.
What is needed is a reform of the state constitution that mandates the positions for ALL of the Regents to be voted upon in a referendum by NY state residents. Ditto for the commissioner of education.
These positions should no longer be appointees by our state legislators. They should be controlled directly through an election process by, from, and of the people in NY state, plain and simple.
Robert,
You are probably right. That is why we (parents, teachers, and students) need to organize our own army and STOP TAKING THE TEST!!!!! If no takes the test then they can’t dictate anything. There is no to fire. They will need to listen to the people and stop treating us like cattle. We are acting like cattle by taking their test. If we want them to listen we need to do something different. We need to act like the leader and then they will follow. That is how it should be. We pay their salaries right? We need to stand together not apart.
Zenqi – it’s like boycotting grapes or not taking the bus – it’s called civil disobedience. And the more who answer the call to “opt out” the more effective the movement will be.
I’m just afraid that King will come up with some punishment, such as retaining all those who don’t take the exam. He can’t punish those who get low scores – over half the school would fail to ever advance beyond third grade. We’d be like Texas.
Zenqi and Diane,
Leaders are elected by the majority to serve the majority . . . . There is horrendous disconnect between elected offical and constituent.
We must do everything we can outside of outright violence to make our officials listen to us, the people, and act upon our majority concerns. This was a major finding and observation of DeToqueville . . . .
That’s what real functional democracies do.
Robert,
I agree with you. We as parents, teachers, and students need to be marching in the streets instead of sitting in the classrooms taking their dumb tests. My son has missed two weeks of school because of all this ridiculous testing. How absurd is that? You tell me how this testing is helping us progress? I don’t see it? This is all about money and power and has nothing to do with education. If we don’t start organizing and rejecting their ideas we will not have an educational system for everyone any more. It will be only for the rich who can afford it. They will put this country so far back we will not be able to recover. We really need to get everyone to stop taking the test. This is one way to get their attention. We need to do much more than that. I agree with you there but we need to start somewhere. Not taking the test is a good place to start.
Zenqi and Diane,
The government’s goal is to shift wealth and power away from the middle class and frontload the already uber-wealthy.
You are right about setting us back. We are living in very very sinister times. Our unions are horribly corrupt and wish only to stay in business for themselves.
The power for change lies mostly in parents. Teachers are parents, taxpayers, and voters too, but compared to the rest of the population, they are a small minority. It is a parents’ movement and a youth movement that stand to restore public education to being democratic and non-top-down driven.
Finand’s system works so well because its testing system is teacher driven and its child poverty rate is down to 3%, unlike the 25% in the USA.
Voters are still in the majority, but will they consent to organize and mobilize.
I think they already are, and the movement is growing.
But this is going to be a long protracted fight because we are up against some very powerful forces, like Eli Broad and Bill Gates, just to name a few villainthropists.
Still, our democratic machinery still works in the sense that if we have enough votes to vote in the right people, we stand a chance to make things better.
The reformer’s money far outweigh’s ours, but our votes far outnumbers theirs . . . . . . .
Hi Robert,
Yes, I think your right about everything you say. Just remember one thing Bill Gates gain his wealth from us and we can easily put him out of business as well. We can stop buying his products. Most of them suck anyway. I am an Apple person myself. No one has that much power unless you let them. If they have all this power it is because WE ALL allowed it to happen. We can decide we made a mistake and TAKE BACK OUR POWER!!!!! That is what we all need to do now!!! A lot of people put their heads in the sand and act like nothing is happening. I know a few of them but eventually everyone will have to come out of their own denial. These are just facts that everyone deals with daily. This subject is more global and effects everyone. They keep saying the economy is good or getting better? It is still sucks!!! They want to keep people down and only allow some to have power. It is sinister!!! There is something stinky going on. All this is not what I voted for I feel duped by Obama and I don’t think I am alone.
Robert,
I think we have to stand back some and wait and see what happens. I know that is not a good feeling for a teacher but I think we have to see how many people opted out this year overall. It sounds like about half or close to it. That might be a little optimistic but I think the numbers will be impressive and will give them something to think about. I think if we work hard we can do at least 80% next year with more movements. We had movements in our small little school through emails among the parents. Next year I think we should hold our own parent information meetings. I do think it will be stronger just try to hang-in there. I know it is hard. Your whole life’s work is being crutihized by individuals that don’t really care about education or kids. People who do not listen to you. I as a parent understand and I am willing to stand up beside you and fight with you.
Zenqi, I think the numbers will be closer to 25%, let’s shoot for at least 50% for next year.
Remember, many parents cringe at the idea of opting out. They are used to following the rules. It takes a lot of courage to buck the system. Please note that it is mainly the children of teachers who opt out, joined by some intuitive parents.
We have to keep educating for the movement to be successful.
Hello to you, too, Zenqi.
Parents must all make whatever decisions work best for them and their children.
I respect and uphold the virtues of local school control and local democracy.
You are right about Obama. I have only voted democrat my whole life, but he is mostly a fraud and virulent about privatizing the system.
He is also anti-immigrant, and he wants to wipe the floor with the middle and working class. He is little more than an opportunist.
As long as test scores are factored into a teacher’s evaluation and employability, and as long as such junk science is maintained, teachers will always be incentived to teach to the test and limit curriculum. This is far more serious a problem than any other issue in education.
We can talk about labor rights and SHOULD!
But I am looking, in this very post, at this issue through strictly and educational and cognitive lens.
Wiring our children’s brains according to the staus quo will only dumb down the population and create a very obedient, cookie cutter workforce.
This is not the fault of teachers or adminstrators, but it is the fault of teachers’ unions, government, and coporate America. Ultimately, it is the fault of the American people.
We still have many hard lessons to learn; we are still a young and evolving nation. The apathy and choice-based uniformed mindset of the average American is our greatest collective enemy.
How many people really know about ALEC and its consequences?
But I sense that is changing, as terms like “class warfare” and “plutocrats” are getting thrown around at an noticeably increased rate of usage in all different types of media.
But your most powerful statement is that none of these villians will retain power IF we don’t allow them to . . . . . . .
I like your verve, vim, and vigor . . . . . Keep on posting.
Hi Robert,
Thank you!!! I will !!!! I really believe in free will and we can change what we don;t like by NOT FOLLOWING!!! YEAH!!!!!!
Let’s go back to the infamous “building a plane in the air” video:
For those of you who are not New Yorkers, who didn’t experience this “live” let me fill you in: After New York State won their 3/4 of a billion dollars (yes, that’s correct) in Race to the Top money from the Feds, one of their commitments (in the grant proposal) was to develop a sequence of professional learning opportunities called “Network Team Institutes” to roll out the Common Core to districts and BOCES (regional, cooperative educational centers) state-wide. At one of the first meetings State Ed officials ACTUALLY SCREENED THIS VIDEO and commented that, as New York was rolling out the Common Core State Standards, developing curriculum, building a new professional performance evaluation system, building new data systems, and rolling out new assessments ALL AT ONCE, it was like “building a plane in the air”! Of course, this work was being driven not by seasoned educators, but but privately funded “Regents Research Fellows,” charter school founders and charter school consultants whose lack of experience in public education would be laughable, if it hadn’t had such a profound impact on the children, families and education professionals of New York State.
So, here we are, now four years later. I wouldn’t call it a slow-moving train wreck only because I think we have to go back to the aviation theme and perhaps, instead, call it a slow-motion aviation catastrophe. Not to be too morbid, but that plan has now spit out all passengers not thoroughly belted in, the workers have likely flown off the roof as well, any anyone remaining, who is belted in, is likely experiencing slow and painful asphyxiation from the combined severe wind, cold, and lack of oxygen.
Please, NY State Ed Department, get this plane back down on the ground now!!!
Reblogged this on Femininican.
Video on NYC Public School Parents blogsite:
NYS Assessment Blues
Corporate Greed = Cuomo, Tisch, King
According to King and his buddy Cuomo, teachers MUST be held accountable even if the tests don’t “count” for the kids….why are the very ones destroying what used to be a decent educational system in NY never held accountable. Richard Mills destroyed the Regents standard when he got rid of the local diploma…now all kids have to pass the Regents which means the scores all get curved so the lower groups will “pass” and NY can claim to have “raised the standards”. It only takes 30% correct to pass an Algebra Regents with a 65….it used to be a legitimate 65%. Richard Mills got a golden parachute for his efforts and no accountability. Now King is driving the Titanic full steam ahead…will he ever be fired for incompetance? It is all so very wrong.
Okay. So some of the pages were blank on some of the test Ds of the third grade assessments. Of course third graders are going to know what to do when they get to the middle of the test and find empty sheets without problems, they are experts with bubbling. They will know to skip those bubble lines and match the numbers to the answers. The same when they come to the next set of blank pages later in the booklet. Then they can fill in the rest of the answers on another day. No confusion here.
And it’s not everyone effected. Just some kids in the Buffalo Public Schools and surrounding suburbs. Maybe some other regions throughout the state. There were even some extra exams put away for emergencies at the area BOCES center and in Buffalo’s Central Office. Not enough though. However, some schools were able to find a complete test and make copies.
I can only imagine what the timing looked like.
Now the question is – with all the confusion and delay, plus the fact the entire exam protocol was compromised – Is the test valid? And can those students involved (plus the other third graders who had to witness these events) be expected to have maintained their cool and completed the test without emotions impacting the outcome. In other words, can this exam be used to accurately evaluate their abilities and the prowess of their teachers and their schools?
What a mess!
Fast track to an online exam. An entire state taking the assessments over a one month period (I hope the Regents doesn’t think each school will have enough computers to test the entire elementary school (grades 3-8) at once). Will each district have a large enough infrastructure to handle the load? And will Pearson be able to handle millions of users? Remember, the system crashed in several Florida schools when the third graders were taking their online test.
I predict a disaster.
King John meets Godzilla!
Hi Ms. Klock,
I hear your frustration and agree with your reasoning. Mr. King and his compatriots don’t care about the kids they care about money and numbers. This man operates like a stock broker not an educational head. They don’t want someone caring in that position they want a robot. That is what they got. I will state it again : IF YOU DON”T TAKE THE TEST THEY CAN”T LEAD BECAUSE WE ARE NOT FOLLOWING!!!!! That is the key. I opted my son out. Why would I subject him to something so absurd that makes no sense. Parents have to start thinking logically and start protecting their kids. The federal and state and local government do not care about us. They care about getting and staying elected. That’s it!!! They don’t care who gets hurt along the way. We are all in danger of them. Yes, it is us against them. We can no longer trust them at all.
My grand daughter opted out of the sixth grade tests and she was forced to sit and state. She said she didn’t mind.
When she gets to high school, the stakes are higher – she has to take the CC Regents exams in order to graduate. No opting out then. They have us by the short hairs, Zenqi.
My grandson is 3. Hopefully this will all be a bad dream by the time he is in third grade.
King and Tisch are mere puppets of the rich and powerful. It will take legislation to reform the Board of Regents. Current seats are political appointments – not based on the needs of our public education system, but on the preferences of Sheldon Silver and the political machine he controls.
When Commissioner Mills announced his Regents plan, I knew my son would never graduate from high school. I’m lucky he got his GED.
Even with the finagling, many of the kids in Buffalo can’t pass the Algebra and/or the Biology Regents. They might squeak by the English exam and perhaps the US History, but Global eludes many. They are doomed. It’s not a surprise that graduation rates in Buffalo are below 50% and even lower in Rochester and Syracuse.
And the sad part is that Mills called this policy his crowning glory.
Mills, you have ruined many lives. Live with that knowledge.
I disagree with you Ellen that it is mostly teachers refusing their children out of the testing. Many teachers are NOT refusing the testing for their children because they fear for their jobs. Also we parents that refuse the tests for our children are a hell of alot more than intuitive. Try educated, informed, well researched, and ahead of the game. Many of us have also lost many hours of sleep, use ours or our working spouses personal resources to hold informational meetings to educate other parents, use talents and skills we have in the private sector to create events, flyers, websites, and so much more. And they do this for the sake of ALL the children not just their own. They’re also fighting for teachers who put them down and speak condescendingly to anyone they feel does not stand in a classroom as they do. Imagine that. Fighting for people who do not give credit or appreciation for the selfless sacrifices many are making. I wouldn’t mind introducing you to the many dedicated and amazing parents who are giving their all in this movement and who are warriors in the truest sense of the word.