Commissioner of Education John King is conducting a series of hearings around the state on the subject of the Common Core and the testing.
Each meeting has been a disaster.
This evening, a large number of parents and teachers crowded into a high school auditorium on Long Island to speak out against the state’s heavy-handed imposition of the new tests and standards.
The chancellor of the State Board of Regents Merryl Tisch assured the angry crowd that their message was heard.
But Commissioner King made clear there would be no backing down from the state’s commitment to the standards or the testing, despite the protests.
The speakers at Ward Melville did not pull their punches.
From school principals to teachers to parents, they blasted the state for overreliance on testing, hasty implementation of curriculums and resulting stress on educators and students, drawing cheers and applause from the standing-room-only crowd in the auditorium. The event was live-streamed into the cafeteria.
Beth Dimino, a science teacher in the Comsewogue district, called for King’s resignation and cautioned Flanagan that he stands to lose support from parents if he continues to back the current structure.
“We are abusing children here in the State of New York,” Dimino said.
Bill Connors, a member of the Three Village board of education, said while he supports the philosophy of Common Core, “changes must be made.”
“We must slow down so teachers can be properly trained,” Connors said. “There needs to be a pullback on the emphasis of high-stakes testing.”
King, in a brief availability with reporters before the forum began, said, “Now is not the moment for a delay.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
These events are the first glimmer of hope that I have seen in the world of education for so, so long. Perhaps at last the pendulum is beginning it return swing toward sanity?
Watch this. You have awakened the mommies and you’re in trouble. Standing ovation.
Time out for Johnnie and Merryl.
http://thepjsta.org/2013/11/13/pjsta-president-beth-dimino-speaks-at-ward-melville-high-school/
Wow. Looks like they will be opting out on Long Island. This video needs to be seen by parents in NYC.
Everyone and more need to come out tomorrow to Mineola. Those who are shut out will have a forum outdoors. It will be light out 🙂 with some sun. We are assembling at 3:30 in front of Mineola High School.
Thank you for all you are doing.
Props to a most KrazyAdmin.
😎
I will be there in spirit. Follow the North Star near Canada. You are leading the way for the rest to begin speaking out. Thank you! (ddermady)
Thank you, Carol, for your brilliant leadership! Your courage and intelligence are a beacon!
My president Beth Dimino… http://thepjsta.org/2013/11/13/pjsta-president-beth-dimino-speaks-at-ward-melville-high-school/
And here are the kind of test questions New York’s children can continue to look forward to:
http://ccssimath.blogspot.com/2013/11/parcc-re-ducks.html
Wow,
I think I would have hated math had I had to tried to figure those out as a kid.
All should check those out. Print them out for showing just how bad these tests are.
CCSS/Math
New York has backed out of the PARCC consortium!
They are technically referring to their (Board of Regents) decision as a “suspension” with any future committenet “in doubt”
Reasons cited: Technology cost and logistics.
Shine on you “crazy” diamonds. Superb effort downstate. Now awaken the dragon in the southern tier, central NY, Islands, and Mountains. And DO go to Buffalo.
Thank you for the perfect reminder of an awesome Pink Floyd tune. It will be my sound track this morning while I do my daily education reading.
Why not. “Reformers! Leave those kids alone!”
It’s all beginning to unravel. Not much longer.
Tonight was awesome! Period. Your turn Mineola.
Reblogged this on EnragedNY ~ No Data NY.
Of course King says that “now is not the moment for delay.” That has to be the standard mantra from anyone who is part of and/or in the pay of GERM.
The sane response from any thoughtful, independent administrator would be, “Gee, you’re right. We really need to take more time on this, gather a lot more input, think about how to reassure the people we SERVE [not a word these pigs use when speaking of themselves, of course], that we will do our best to ensure a high-quality, equitable education for all students. And that holds even if it makes waves for us with our corporate masters [right, as if they would ever admit that].”
No breath will be held. But when elections are, don’t vote for Andrew Cuomo. He’s more of a disaster than I would ever have dreamed the son of Mario Cuomo could be.
Yes of course Kings says that ’cause he’s the most bestest and brightest and brilliantest of all educators. Who the hell would want to follow such a blind ideologue??? I know the brown nosing ass kissing sycophants and the GAGA educators.
That is if one should call the GAGA crowd “educators”.
But when elections are, don’t vote for Andrew Cuomo. He’s more of a disaster than I would ever have dreamed the son of Mario Cuomo could be.
Truer words were never spoken.
Kinda like Jonah Edleman Standing on Children.
This is the type of report that brings a smile to my visage. I remain attached to the phrase. “prairie fire”; let it burn brightly when plain ‘ol people begin to find their voices and confront the powerful.
I was educated in Long Island at two superb school districts: Elmont UFSD and Sewanhaka UFSD. I attended Stewart Manor Elementary, Alva T. Stanforth JHS, and Sewanhaka High School.
I received a top notch, high quality, world class education at all three.
Long Island has a history of evolving, cultivating, and sustaining excellent public schools for the most part.
I hope the Long Island taxpayer and parent continues to peacefully pursue the utmost of agressive and militantly organized and tenacious advocacy to protect their schools, children, and democracy at large.
I am a product in so many critical ways of the teachers I had in those schools. People like John King and Merryl Tisch are anethema to the tone and culture of Long Island. I hope justice prevails.
Cheers to Nassau and Suffolk Counties! You can do this. You will prevail int he long run. Don’t give up your righteous fight . . . . .
Everyone needs to recall their own education!! I hope they do what you did. The fact that many parents (not in NY of course) are experiencing the “cognitive dissonance” of education reform is allowing this to move forward. Many of us came from schools that met our needs, but we are accepting the line of the ed reformers!! I hope more people begin to think more!
In recalling our own educational pasts, I think the part that is most motivating is that the summary of our education was not compliance and recitation of a standardized way of thinking, such as it is with CCSS. So those of us who were raised with the freedom to reason are outraged, as we should be, that anything less would be offered to our children.
If we could add this notion of summary to the rhetoric, we will likely continue to have breakthroughs in the pushback. What is the summary of our educational philosophy? The career and college ready bit does not persuade me that giving up the autonomy of reason or the joy of discovery (particularly in the younger grades) is a good idea. And parents who are paying attention are feeling this too. Hooray for that. Hooray. Hooray.
Joanna
Your response to this post is so down to earth and correct!!
“We are waist deep in the big muddy, and the big fool says to press on….”
Ah yes. Another perfect song for the sound track!
No backing down ?????????????
“But Commissioner King made clear there would be no backing down from the state’s commitment to the standards or the testing, despite the protests.”
And they said the Titanic was unsinkable , Sir..
And the Edmund Fitzgerald was a modern top of the line freighter. Tell that to the 29 souls at the bottom of Lake Gitchee Gumee.
Hubris thy name is John King.
How old is that pipsqueak by the way? How many years spent teaching?
Wiki lists his “profession” as “educator”-joke’s on the folks of the Empire State.
Of course Commissioner King said there would be no backing down–that’s the business model. Even if it doesn’t work, keep telling people–your employees, customers–that it does–if you tell them often enough, it becomes the truth.
And this, precisely, is why SCHOOLS, whose customers are real, live CHILDREN, cannot survive with use of the business model, which should NEVER, EVER have been thrust upon American education.
Not to mention that King “won’t back down” (to quote a title from a horrendous propaganda film!) because the contacts have already been signed, sealed and delivered. KA-CHING, Pear$on!
Everyone has to be paid, and that’s the business model.
Unfortunately for King, though, he didn’t have the foresight to figure in the enraged Moms and Dads.
As Flounder said in “Animal House,” as he witnessed the chaos of the alumni parade, “Oh boy, is this GREAT!”
These Business people think of children as a product rolling off an assembly line…….
I will agree Mr King…No need to back down..You will be Pushed Down and Swept Away…
You keep Going Parents…Keep up this good work..
‘PARENTS are …..and …..have always been the POWER that drives the Education of their Offspring……..
Power down the Deform….Power up our education and make it right..
This statement is so true..
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We are abusing children here in the State of New York,” Dimino said.
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Teachers knew this from Day 1 of this Disaster.in all of the CC States….Teachers do not like what they are doing because they know it is wrong for the children and they know the children are being used as Lab Rats..
Parents…I do not believe in a frivolous lawsuit…..we have seen many…but the lawsuit that you can file….will be genuine and I know you could win…
Not a lawyer but have been accused of having some Common Sense…
“Teachers knew this from Day 1 of this Disaster.in all of the CC States…”
Horse manure, most from what I’ve seen are GAGAers* willingly taking on these horrendous educational malpractices without saying a word against what they know is wrong or worse believing the hype behind the CCSS.
GAGers should be run out of the profession as much as the edudeformers themselves.
*Going Along to Get Along (GAGA): Nefarious practice of most educators who implement the edudeformers agenda even though the educators know that those educational malpractices will cause harm to the students and defile the teaching and learning process. The members of the GAGA gang are destined to be greeted by the Karmic Gods of Retribution upon their passing from this realm.
Karmic Gods of Retribution: Those ethereal beings specifically evolved to construct the 21st level in Dante’s Hell. The 21st level signifies the combination of the 4th (greed), 8th (fraud) and 9th (treachery) levels into one mega level reserved especially for the edudeformers and those, who, knowing the negative consequences of the edudeformers agenda, willing implemented it so as to go along to get along. The Karmic Gods of Retribution also personally escort these poor souls, upon their physical death, to the 21st level unless they enlighten themselves, a la one D. Ravitch, to the evil and harm they have caused so many innocent children, and repent and fight against their former fellow deformers. There the edudeformers will lie down on a floor of smashed and broken ipads and ebooks curled in a fetal position alternately sucking their thumbs to the bones while listening to two words-Educational Excellence-repeated without pause for eternity.
Yes, yes! It is now becoming abusive practice and I, for one, will not stand by quietly. I am not a teacher who is out to win a popularity contest but I WILL defend the five year olds who have no voice. There ought to be bubble tests for common sense for all involved.
Mr Connors…..
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” We must slow down so teachers can be properly trained,” Connors said.
“There needs to be a pullback on the emphasis of high-stakes testing.”
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Teachers have been properly trained to TEACH….We do not need to TEACH them how to TEST…..
Training in how to teach these age inappropriate standards in order to pass a TEST and provide profits for the Big Giant Book Companies is unacceptable….
Look at the Finland objectives posted above…They have it spot on…
Look at the first grade test posted above…..from the mighty book company…
TEACHERS KNOW THIS WAY OF TEACHING IS WRONG…….
PARENTS DO NOT ACCEPT IT…..;.START OVER…
Listen to the words or Robert Rendo and Joanna Best…
As I sit at my little laptop listening to Beethoven with my cup of coffee and popcorn..Yes popcorn….I feel grateful and guilty.
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Grateful that I am not in the devastation of the Philippine Typhoon and..
Guilty that I can not go there and help these people….
The best that I can do is give to one of the Relief Organizations and say a prayer for these people in so much suffering..
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This is the Real World……anyone with compassion will know that this disaster hurts and entire World…not just the unfortunate people in the Direct Path of this Typhoon..
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I also must say the same is true for this devastation in Education…Human Disaster….
I can help in this Disaster…..
The unfortunate students are in the Direct Path of this Devastating Storm and are the ones that will suffer the most…
Excuse my errors…should have done the proofreading before posting…
Hurts “an” entire world
Would someone please “out” the credentials, or the lack thereof, of Meryl Tisch’s “Regents Research Fellow”? Paid out of private and corporate funds, they are the folks driving change at State Ed in NY, and it is near impossible to find out anything about their training and experience.
I am a parent of a child with learning disabilities and this test is the most idiotic thing I could ever imagine. Maybe John King will get the message when no one shows up for the test. My son will not be taking it again. It is abusive and I won’t allow it. If he is not listening at town meetings then he will listen when no one takes the test. What a real stupid man!!!
The concept of not taking the test is powerful and I would like to see this expand to all states.
NYS Ed definitely needs a whistler blower who can uncover the credentials of the “fellows.” I have heard that their pay comes from the Gates foundation. We shouldn’t be surprised that they lack credentials. The commissioner himself is not certified to be an administrator in NY. Uncertified, apparently, is the new certified.
“Uncertified, apparently, is the new certified.”
Orwell spelled it out way back when, eh!!
Finally! Somebody has taken a good look at the emperor and realized that he is not wearing any clothes. Kudos to Beth Dimino for calling it what it is:
“Beth Dimino, a science teacher in the Comsewogue district, called for King’s resignation and cautioned Flanagan that he stands to lose support from parents if he continues to back the current structure.
“We are abusing children here in the State of New York,” Dimino said.
Bureaucrat do not have the right to abuse our children – regardless of their position, ignorance or arrogance!
Dear all,
I teach in a private school. Since we’re private, then we have no particular need to teach a Common Core-aligned curriculum, but my principal is really gung-ho about it. Are there any good research papers refuting some contentions that the Common Core puts forth?
I would appreciate your help; I can’t find much on JSTOR and I’m swamped with grading and the like.
Re Common Core: Anthony Cody has been writing about the problems with Common Core. I will too, as I am speaking to the Modern Language Association about CC in January at its annual convention. The first thing to know is that the writing of the standards included very few classroom teachers. The standards for the youngest grades are developmentally inappropriate. Little thought (if any) was given to children with disabilities or English learners. The standards have some positive aspects, but the tests are already disastrous; wherever they have been offered, scores plummeted–not because our kids are dumb, but because the tests are way above the grade level for which they are designed. Since all the testing will be on computers–and likely scored by computers–the cost is apt to be astronomical–in the billions, this at a time when districts are strapped for funds. Those are a few problems I see.
@A. Seymour K: well, depends. The burden of proof would be on the supporters of CCSSI, wouldn’t it? And they, as the saying goes, “got nuthin’.” How could they? They did no piloting to speak of. The high-stakes testing? Same deal.
If you’re looking at the bigger picture, though, there is no dearth of research or statistical analysis and theory to support the idea that Value Added Methods don’t work in business (let alone in education), that rating teachers based on their students’ high-stakes test scores is unjustifiable, that using high-stakes tests punitively helps no one in schools or communities (except the test publishers), and pretty much every other claim that the policy people behind CCSSI would like us to believe.
Now is not the moment for a delay.
True.
Now is the moment for a revolt.
Think Belushi as a samurai yelling ATTAAAAACK!
Ah, so you do have one or two movies under your belt, I see. 🙂
Yes indeed.
Unification of parents and teachers is the key. These types of posts and stories need to be shared until the nation understands what is taking place. It will be a great day when the top news stories are about the demise of the Common Core and it’s resulting problems. I wish I could have been there to see and hear…
Why hasn’t the evening forum at West Middle School in Binghamton on November 25 from 6-8 with Commissioner King been announced publicly yet? It is a week away and not one word has been put out there yet. Conspiracy?