Tuesday, February 11, 2014

New York State Legislators Say: Delay Common Core Testing Evals For 2 Years

Sheldon Silver

New York’s top politicians join together to delay Common Core school tests

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The coordinated effort by Republicans and Democrats in New York’s Assembly and Senate is a rare show of bipartisan unity from lawmakers who have been bombarded with complaints from parents around the state about the tests.

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BY GLENN BLAIN / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014, 8:32 PM

ALBANY — Ramping up the pressure on state education officials, New York Senate and Assembly leaders on Tuesday called for a two-year delay in using Common Core-based tests to evaluate students and teachers.

The officials — including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate GOP leader Dean Skelos — said they supported federal Common Core standards but believed more time was needed to develop a curriculum and train teachers on how to implement it.

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“You can’t propose an entirely new curriculum, an entirely new set of standards and say: ‘Here it is, teach to it,’” Silver said.

Skelos (R-Nassau County) joined with Senate co-leader Jeff Klein (D-Bronx) and Senate Education Committee Chairman John Flanagan (R-Nassau) to issue a nearly identical statement.

RELATED: COMMON CORE NEEDS 'CORRECTIVE ACTION': CUOMO

The coordinated statements marked a rare show of bipartisan unity in Albany from lawmakers who have been bombarded with complaints from parents around the state about the tests, due to be administered for the second time this April. Student scores plummeted statewide in last spring’s tests.

“I am very happy to hear that so many leaders in Albany are saying what we have known for two years now, that this is a debacle,” United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said.

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Silver urged the Board of Regents to “take the message and deal with it” — a comment that came as Assembly members began interviewing candidates for four positions on the board set to be filled by the Legislature this year. Several members pressed the candidates about possible changes to the Common Core.

Regents Chairwoman Merryl Tisch and state Education Commissioner John King, in a statement, said a special Regents work group will present options next week.

RELATED: GOV. CUOMO RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT NEW CURRICULUM

A spokeswoman for Gov. Cuomo said it was “premature” to call for a moratorium on the use of Common Core tests and urged lawmakers to wait until a special panel he intends to create has a chance to review the issue.

Legislative officials pointed out that the still-to-be-named panel will issue its report after the tests have been taken.