Contact your member of the Néw York Board of Regents and urge them not to make field testing of Oearson tests mandatory.
http://www.regents.nysed.gov/members/Membersterms0412.html
CURRENT MEMBER TERMS AND AREAS REPRESENTED
2016* Tisch, Merryl H.; B.A., M.A., Ed.D.
Chancellor; At Large
Regents Office, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234
Phone: (518) 474-5889 Email: Regent.Tisch@nysed.gov
2016* Bottar, Anthony S.; B.A., J.D.
Vice Chancellor; Judicial District V — Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego
120 Madison Street, Suite 1600, AXA Tower II, Syracuse, NY 13202
Phone: (315) 422-3466 Email: Regent.Bottar@nysed.gov
2015* Bennett, Robert M.; B.A., M.S.
Chancellor Emeritus; Judicial District VIII — Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming
201 Millwood Lane, Tonawanda, NY 14150
Phone: (518) 474-5889 Email: Regent.Bennett@nysed.gov
2015* Dawson, James C.; A.A, B.A., M.S., Ph.D.
Judicial District IV — Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington
166 U.S. Oval, Plattsburgh, NY 12903
Phone: (518) 324-2401 Email: Regent.Dawson@nysed.gov
Vacant
Judicial District XI — Queens
2015* Phillips 3rd, Harry; B.A., M.S.F.S.
Judicial District IX — Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester
71 Hawthorne Way, Hartsdale, NY 10530
Phone: (914) 948-2228 Email: Regent.Phillips@nysed.gov
2017* Tallon, Jr., James R. ; B.A., M.A.
Judicial District VI – Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison, Otsego, Schuyler, Tioga, Tompkins
United Hospital Fund, 1411 Broadway, 12th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10018
Phone (212) 494-0777 Email: Regent.Tallon@nysed.gov
2015* Tilles, Roger; B.A., J.D.
Judicial District X – Nassau, Suffolk
100 Crossways Park West, Suite 107, Woodbury, N.Y. 11797
Phone (516) 364-2533 Email: Regent.Tilles@nysed.gov
2017* Bendit, Charles R.; B.A.
Judicial District I – New York
111 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1500, New York, N.Y. 10011
Phone (212) 220-9945 Email: Regent.Bendit@nysed.gov
2018* Rosa, Betty A.; B.A., M.S. in Ed., M.S. in Ed., M.Ed., Ed.D.
Judicial District XII – Bronx
State Education Building, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234
Phone (718) 664-8052 Email: Regent.Rosa@nysed.gov
2015* Young, Jr., Lester W.; B.S., M.S., Ed.D.
At Large
55 Hanson Place, Suite 400, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11217
Phone (718) 722-2796 Email: Regent.Young@nysed.gov
2019* Cea, Christine D.; B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
Judicial District XIII – Richmond
NYS Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities
1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10314
Phone (718) 494-5306 Email: Regent.Cea@nysed.gov
2019* Norwood, Wade S.; B.A.
At Large
74 Appleton Street, Rochester, NY 14611
Phone (585) 436-2944 Email: Regent.Norwood@nysed.gov
2015* Cashin, Kathleen M.; B.S., M.S., Ed.D.
Judicial District II – Kings
Regents Office, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234
Phone (518) 474-5889 Email: Regent.Cashin@nysed.gov
2019*Cottrell, James E.; B.S., M.D.
At Large
SUNY Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Box 6, Brooklyn, NY 11203-2098
Phone (718) 270-2331 Email: Regent.Cottrell@nysed.gov
2017*Brown, T. Andrew; B.A., J.D.
Judicial District VII – Cayuga, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Yates
925 Crossroads Building, Two State Street, Rochester, NY 14614
Phone (585) 454-3667 Email: Regent.Brown@nysed.gov
2019* Finn, Josephine Victoria; B.A., J.D.
Judicial District III – Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Schoharie, Sullivan, Ulster
Regents Office, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234
Phone (518) 474-5889 Email: Regent.Finn@nysed.gov
* Year When Present Term Ends
:
—
Diane Ravitch's blog 
THE REGENTS DON’T CARE WHAT THE PUBLIC THINKS. THEY DO NOT SERVE US OR OUR CHILDREN. THEY SERVE BILL GATES & CO.
THEY ONLY THING THAT WILL CHANGE THE DOWNWARD TRAJECTORY OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IS LAWSUITS..
LikeLike
Here is a sample letter anyone who likes may adapt and use. Feel free to share:
Dear ____
I am writing to request that you oppose the New York State Education Department’s attempt to amend Commissioner’s Regulations 100.2, 100.3 and 100.4, mandating student participation in field testing. By doing so, you will help limit the amount of counter-productive testing to which students are subjected annually. While sound and meaningful assessment is an important part of any educational program, field tests that provide teachers, students and parents with NO relevant or meaningful information are not.
Every year, generally in the spring, the New York State Education Department selects specific subjects and grades, in districts state-wide, to participate in field tests. Field tests are given for the purpose of developing and improving questions that will be used on future high stakes tests. However, students do not learn how they performed on the field tests. They do not receive scores or grades. Neither teachers nor parents are permitted to review field test results to understand their students’ abilities or needs. Field tests provide no benefit to students, teachers, or schools at all.
Field testing is often scheduled in the spring. For students in grades 3-8, field tests take place after students and teachers have already lost weeks of valuable instructional time due to their participation in the mandated ELA and math testing program. Field tests interrupt the work teachers do after the state tests to bring student focus back to learning, finish the year’s curriculum, and prepare for end-of-year activities. At the high school level, spring field tests interrupt instruction when teachers and students are finishing course curricula and reviewing for tests that do matter: finals and high school Regents exams.
Field tests do not generate valid or reliable data. Students and teachers are well aware of the fact that field tests are meaningless. As a result, students do not expend real effort on the test questions, and the data generated through field testing are inevitably skewed. In addition, compelling children to participate in irrelevant testing diminishes student trust and confidence both in their teachers, and in school overall.
Pearson, a for-profit British concern, generates significant corporate revenue from its testing contract with New York State. At the same time, Pearson is interrupting our children’s education to prepare future assessments, from which it will generate additional financial gain.
In the spring of 2014, approximately 35 Superintendents returned field tests to the State Education Department, un-opened and un-administered. By amending the Commissioner’s Regulations to mandate field testing, the State Education Department will further strip Superintendents and Boards of Education of their authority to make decisions locally, in the best interests of their children and communities. In addition, the State Education Department will further intensify school focus on testing, and on right and wrong answers, at the expense of rich, complex, joyful and meaningful learning for students.
Please voice your opposition to the proposed amendment. Help protect our children from excessive testing, and support the restoration of public education to the public, which is where it belongs.
Sincerely,
LikeLike
Just checked the NYSED site and The Board of Regents is elected by the state legislature and not the people—not that the people are going to always vote for the right candidate. After all, the people elected Cuomo.
But when the people don’t vote for a candidate, its a lot easier to hide all the dirt.
http://www.regents.nysed.gov/about/
LikeLike