The New York State United Teachers issued a statement supporting th districts that are opting out of state field tests.
“ALBANY, N.Y. May 30, 2014 – As tens of thousands of students statewide prepare to begin vfield testing” questions for future state exams, New York State United Teachers President Karen E. Magee said today more time should be devoted to teaching – not testing – and called for an end to student participation in field tests.
The State Education Department is administering field tests from June 2-11 to try out prospective standardized test questions developed by the giant testing company, Pearson PLC. These tests do not count for students, teachers or schools and are solely used to “test the test.” Stand-alone field tests in English language arts and math will be administered in most schools to students who took the state’s 2014 Grades 3-8 Common Core ELA and math tests.
“New York’s over-reliance on standardized tests continues to have a negative effect on our students,” Magee said. “Teachers and parents are united in our concern that excessive state standardized testing takes important time away from instruction.”
Magee called on the state to grant the SED’s request for sufficient resources so it can develop a bank with enough age- and grade-appropriate, reliable and valid questions to entirely eliminate the need for field testing.
Magee noted a number of school districts – Comsewogue and Ossining, for example – are reportedly boycotting this year’s field tests.
“NYSUT applauds those school districts that have recently opted out of this year’s field testing. Just as we support parents’ rights to opt their child out of the state tests, we support those districts that are opting out of the field tests,” Magee said. “Why should New York state students be unpaid researchers for Pearson?”
“NYSUT Vice President Catalina Fortino, who oversees the union’s Research and Educational Services Division, added, “These upcoming field tests mean that, once again, too many students in New York state will be spending time on standardized tests that take time away from real learning.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Ask Magee to support dropping Common Core.
Amen, Mercedes. But that won’t happen in New York Gates, where Bill Gates and Pearson are funding the state ed department and its engageNY website and crazy modules. Gates funds the teaches’ union. Just ask Magee to deny that. Thanks for your enlightening work, Diane and Mercedes!
Perhaps if enough parents opt their kids out of these type things, Goliath can be beaten. Enough is enough. Let the parents, students and qualified teachers be heard.
Just. Say. No.
Yes, keep it simple.
In Utah, every student in our state just field tested the new Common Core tests written by AIR. Took us three weeks to get through all of the testing.
THREE WEEKS???!!!! Why no pushback??!!!!!
THREATENED out west
NYSUT is a joke. Has the new leadership done anything about using VAM after Cuomo announced the test scores will not count against the students. Watch how quickly the union supports Cuomo. We are already getting screwed under this new contract and I am sure Cuomo has more knives to use against teachers after he is re-elected.
A joke? No teacher I know is laughing. Iannuzzi and now Magee are traitors in the war against public education. Lining their pockets with blood money.
Iannuzzi was a puppet until recently when he announced he would not support Cuomo, and Unity thugs made sure he would lose re-election. Now we find out that the UFT will be endorsing Cuomo which means NYSUT will be also, and that Unity was behind the push to get the WFP to also endorse Cuomo. Iannuzzi was running with Arthur Goldstein aka NYC Educator, and with MORE, so this would have been a new era for NYSUT. However the UFT controls the whole state, and as long as Mulgrew and Randi are in charge it isn’t a laughing matter because it is a joke and the joke is on us. They already handed us a contract that takes away due process rights and lied about health coverage. Yet the masses will vote it in because they are afraid of their own shadows.
What will NYSUT do about Cuomo? That is the question. They must withhold their endorsement. If they continue to support him, they support the policies that favor the privatization of public education. His stance on Charter schools alone should cost him support. If NYSUT follows this path, I fear they have written their own death warrant.
As Pearson prepares to take over the education world parents are wise to raise their voices against the current situation. Sadly, no on is listening.
Here are the SBAC test question guidelines: http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/TaskItemSpecifications/Guidelines/BiasandSensitivity/BiasandSensitivityGuidelines.pdf
There is not nor will there be any correlation between the CCSS and what is on the test!
LOL. Too true.
Interesting that “climate change due to human behavior” is on the list of banned topics
As Diane pointed out in her first book, The Rise and Fall of the Great American School System, scores have not improved and indeed by measures most publicized, are falling SINCE reform began. Is there a message here? Testing is not teaching and gutting public schools to line the pockets of private corporations will decimate rather than improve our schools. Duh. Throw out the reform. And the reformers. While we all realize that public schools need massive restructuring for equity and diversity, let’s deal with the real problems. Start with what kids need, which is more teachers, better facilities and a design that includes maximum input from educators, not politicians. Fantasy?