- The state's testing requirements are being criticized by school districts and unions. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)
The city school district wants the state to stop relying so much on standardized exams.
The school board will vote Tuesday on a resolution that urges the state Education Department to back off the tests students in third through eighth grade will take over a few days later this month. The board says the tests cut into student learning time, narrow the curriculum and erode teacher morale.
The resolution will not be binding, and won't exempt the district from the state's requirement that every child take the English and math exams. But the public push-back against the state is a highly unusual move for a school board.
"Every kid has his own way of learning," said Ernest Gailor, the board's vice president. The tests "make them nervous as the dickens; it takes away from the results of real world experiences."
If the measures passes, Saratoga Springs' board would be one of just a handful of school boards around the state that have passed measures calling on the state Education Department to find other, more reliable ways to measure student progress.
Superintendent Michael Piccirillo said other districts will likely voice opposition to the tests because they try to condense an entire year's worth of learning into a single exam. He said student portfolios, community service and everyday classroom observation are a far more accurate way to gauge what a student has absorbed in the classroom.
"We don't want kids to feel overly stressed about the assessment and recognize it's not the only way to measure their progress," he said.
The resolution states that research recommends multiple measure to assess student learning. It also states that the tests discriminate against children with disabilities and who are English language learners.
A small but growing number of parents across the state are choosing to opt out of the state tests, even though the law is not clear on whether they are allowed to do it.
Recently, the New Paltz school board passed a resolution criticizing the tests, and a teacher in Syracuse publicly resigned over an increased emphasis on the tests because he said they interfered with learning.
New York State United Teachers, the state's largest teachers union, is urging members and parents to call on the state Education Department to stop implementation of this year's tests, which will be more challenging, because schools have not received all of the necessary curriculum.
"If we want our children to be ready for college and meaningful careers, we need higher standards — and a way to measure whether those standards are being met — and we need them now," Education Department spokesman Dennis Tompkins said.
School board members share the concern about too much testing, but also recognize that the data from tests is used to make important decisions about student learning and teacher effectiveness, said Tim Kremer, executive director of the New York State School Boards Association. Still, he said school boards are increasingly being asked to respond to parents who want to opt their children out of the exams.
This week, he said, the association will publish a legal guide on how to handle those who are pushing back against testing.
swaldman@timesunion.com • 518-454-5080 • @518Schools
The school board will vote Tuesday on a resolution that urges the state Education Department to back off the tests students in third through eighth grade will take over a few days later this month. The board says the tests cut into student learning time, narrow the curriculum and erode teacher morale.
The resolution will not be binding, and won't exempt the district from the state's requirement that every child take the English and math exams. But the public push-back against the state is a highly unusual move for a school board.
"Every kid has his own way of learning," said Ernest Gailor, the board's vice president. The tests "make them nervous as the dickens; it takes away from the results of real world experiences."
If the measures passes, Saratoga Springs' board would be one of just a handful of school boards around the state that have passed measures calling on the state Education Department to find other, more reliable ways to measure student progress.
Superintendent Michael Piccirillo said other districts will likely voice opposition to the tests because they try to condense an entire year's worth of learning into a single exam. He said student portfolios, community service and everyday classroom observation are a far more accurate way to gauge what a student has absorbed in the classroom.
"We don't want kids to feel overly stressed about the assessment and recognize it's not the only way to measure their progress," he said.
The resolution states that research recommends multiple measure to assess student learning. It also states that the tests discriminate against children with disabilities and who are English language learners.
A small but growing number of parents across the state are choosing to opt out of the state tests, even though the law is not clear on whether they are allowed to do it.
Recently, the New Paltz school board passed a resolution criticizing the tests, and a teacher in Syracuse publicly resigned over an increased emphasis on the tests because he said they interfered with learning.
New York State United Teachers, the state's largest teachers union, is urging members and parents to call on the state Education Department to stop implementation of this year's tests, which will be more challenging, because schools have not received all of the necessary curriculum.
"If we want our children to be ready for college and meaningful careers, we need higher standards — and a way to measure whether those standards are being met — and we need them now," Education Department spokesman Dennis Tompkins said.
School board members share the concern about too much testing, but also recognize that the data from tests is used to make important decisions about student learning and teacher effectiveness, said Tim Kremer, executive director of the New York State School Boards Association. Still, he said school boards are increasingly being asked to respond to parents who want to opt their children out of the exams.
This week, he said, the association will publish a legal guide on how to handle those who are pushing back against testing.
swaldman@timesunion.com • 518-454-5080 • @518Schools
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/District-pushes-back-against-state-testing-4416602.php#ixzz2Q4XO3UnT
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