April 9, 2013

 Our school district has received some questions regarding the State required student assessments  Parents are asking our thoughts on the topic and what the implications are if their children do not participate in the assessments  This presentation is created to provide accurate information regarding this topic

 Designated as a focus district in even though all of our schools were in “good standing”  Must develop complex building (2) and district improvement plans  Uses resources and time that are drawn away from more pressing educational needs  If student participation rate falls below 95%, we will remain on focus designation status with more buildings required to develop improvement plans

 State Education Department indicates “No new districts will be focus designated for two more years; however, there will be an increase in local assistance plan designations due to failure to make AYP because of participation rates.”  This may result in an increase of school improvement funds that must be set aside for required activities

 There is no “opt out” provision  Failure to comply will have a negative impact on accountability as all schools are required to have a 95% participation rate in State testing  Schools failing to make AYP cannot become a SED recognized Reward School or can lose its current Reward status  Note: Lindbergh Elementary is currently designated as a “Highest Performing Reward School”

 July 2010: SED adopted and shared the Common Core Learning Standards  December 2010: The Board of Regents announced that progress on these standards will be measured in grades 3-8 beginning in and in high school in June 2014  NYSUT says teacher evaluation agreement is ‘good for students and fair to teachers’ - NYSUT Media Relations - February 16, 2012  Recently NYSUT indicated that assessments are ahead of the curriculum

 Ken Slentz (SED): “The Common Core State Standards allows states to share a common definition at each grade level by working backward based on the demands of college and careers.”  State assessments are redesigned to measure what students know and can do relative to the grade level Common Core State Standards  Increases in rigor  Focus on text  Depth of math

 To provide NYS educators and parents with an accurate indicator of how our students are performing and their progress toward college and career readiness

9 ELAMATH Green bar shows first year performance with new cut score

 Sample assessment questions can be found at the following link:  common-core-sample-questions common-core-sample-questions

 Some parents have cited “congressional findings” at 20 USCS 3401as a right for opting their students out of assessments  Education is a local endeavor and primarily a state responsibility: “The legislature shall provide for the maintenance and support of a system of free common schools, wherein all the children of this state may be educated.” -New York State Constitution

 7210: Student Evaluation and Reports to Parents  7250: Student Privacy, Parental Access to Information, etc.  7260: Response to Intervention (RtI)  8110: Curriculum Development, Resources and Evaluation  8111: Quality Control in District Curriculum  8250: Evaluation of the Instructional Program

 The District has formed a committee to review the locally chosen and created assessments (not State-required assessments) to determine which, if any, of these assessments may be reduced or eliminated

 The number and type of student assessments for teacher evaluation were reviewed and approved by our teachers’ union, district administration, and Board of Education  This APPR agreement must be reviewed on an annual basis with consideration given to the total amount of student assessments being administered

 Consider the following hypothetical class:  6 students refuse to take State assessments  7 students refuse to take local District assessments  5 students refuse to take both State and local District assessments  8 students take all assessments

 What are the reactions of the students to each other?  What are the potential distractions during assessments?  What are the management challenges that teachers will face in such a scenario in addition to the increased expectations already in existence?

 It is in the best interest of the District and the students to participate in the State and local assessment systems  Assessment is a vital part of the total educational process  Concerned individuals should advocate to improve the State assessment system at the State and Federal levels  The District will work to improve our local assessment system

 Please see the District website for additional information on this topic under “Headlines and Press Releases”  District URL: