The
New York State Education Department, responding to concerns that
standardized exams in reading and math have become excessive and
unwieldy, will seek to ease the burden of testing.
Under
the plan, students struggling in English would be given exams in their
native languages. A math test would be eliminated for some eighth
graders. Students with disabilities would take tests matched to their
level of instruction, not their age.
The
proposals are modest, but they represent a rare concession from state
leaders, who have faced attacks from parents and teachers in recent
weeks over the rollout of a tougher set of standards known as the Common Core.
John
B. King Jr., the state education commissioner, said that there was
“more testing than is needed” in some districts and that some schools
were too focused on rote memorization in preparing for exams.
“The
amount of testing should be the minimum necessary to inform effective
decision-making,” Dr. King wrote in a letter to superintendents and
principals on Thursday.
Critics
of high-stakes testing, however, said on Friday that the plan amounted
to tweaks around the edges that would do little to change the culture of
schools.
“It’s duplicitous,” said Monty Neill, executive director of FairTest,
a group based in Massachusetts that opposes the use of high-stakes
tests. “The political intention is to try to get students and parents to
accept the bad system.”
Dr.
King is also looking to eliminate some tests administered by local
school districts. As part of the plan, the state would offer grants to
districts to study the usefulness of exams and to eliminate
redundancies.
The
state would also seek to do away with a class of exams known as field
tests, which are administered for the purpose of weeding out bad
questions from future tests.
Elected officials and parents have denounced field tests
in recent years, calling them unnecessary exercises that benefit
testing companies and exhaust students. In New York City, a small number
of families have protested field tests by boycotting the state exams.
In
place of stand-alone field tests, the state would embed more field test
questions into math and reading exams. That would require the Education
Department to seek more money so it could print more versions of each
exam. That could cost $12 million a year.
The
department will pursue the changes over the next few months. In
January, it will ask the federal government to allow English-language
learners to take language arts exams in their native language;
currently, students who have been in the United States for at least a
year must take those exams in English.
The
state will also seek permission for some 57,000 eighth-graders studying
algebra to take a Regents exam in lieu of a traditional math test.
Those students are currently required to take both.
Responding
to an outcry over lax standards, the state has taken several steps
since 2009 to improve the quality of exams, including developing new
tests in reading and math that are aligned with the more rigorous Common
Core curriculum. Student passing rates fell sharply when the new exams made their debut last school year, a demoralizing blow for many educators.
Leaders
of teachers’ unions and parents have become increasingly vocal in their
criticism of the state’s efforts. In recent weeks, some parental
leaders have called for Dr. King to resign, saying that the state is
rushing to adopt the Common Core and that it should not use results from
the new exams to evaluate schools, teachers and students.
In New York City, where concerns over testing have seeped into the mayoral race, there was criticism of the state’s plan.
“All
this emphasis is being put on testing, instead of developing an
enriched curriculum that produces real learning for children,” said Jane
Hirschmann, co-chairwoman of Time Out From Testing, a statewide
coalition. “This is not going to satisfy any of us.”
The city’s Education Department, however, praised Dr. King’s efforts.
“It’s
a thoughtful response to schools’ concerns on this issue,” Erin Hughes,
a spokeswoman for the department, wrote in an e-mail. “We welcome the
additional flexibility.”
The
New York State Education Department, responding to concerns that
standardized exams in reading and math have become excessive and
unwieldy, will seek to ease the burden of testing.
Under
the plan, students struggling in English would be given exams in their
native languages. A math test would be eliminated for some eighth
graders. Students with disabilities would take tests matched to their
level of instruction, not their age.
The
proposals are modest, but they represent a rare concession from state
leaders, who have faced attacks from parents and teachers in recent
weeks over the rollout of a tougher set of standards known as the Common Core.
John
B. King Jr., the state education commissioner, said that there was
“more testing than is needed” in some districts and that some schools
were too focused on rote memorization in preparing for exams.
“The
amount of testing should be the minimum necessary to inform effective
decision-making,” Dr. King wrote in a letter to superintendents and
principals on Thursday.
Critics
of high-stakes testing, however, said on Friday that the plan amounted
to tweaks around the edges that would do little to change the culture of
schools.
“It’s duplicitous,” said Monty Neill, executive director of FairTest,
a group based in Massachusetts that opposes the use of high-stakes
tests. “The political intention is to try to get students and parents to
accept the bad system.”
Dr.
King is also looking to eliminate some tests administered by local
school districts. As part of the plan, the state would offer grants to
districts to study the usefulness of exams and to eliminate
redundancies.
The
state would also seek to do away with a class of exams known as field
tests, which are administered for the purpose of weeding out bad
questions from future tests.
Elected officials and parents have denounced field tests
in recent years, calling them unnecessary exercises that benefit
testing companies and exhaust students. In New York City, a small number
of families have protested field tests by boycotting the state exams.
In
place of stand-alone field tests, the state would embed more field test
questions into math and reading exams. That would require the Education
Department to seek more money so it could print more versions of each
exam. That could cost $12 million a year.
The
department will pursue the changes over the next few months. In
January, it will ask the federal government to allow English-language
learners to take language arts exams in their native language;
currently, students who have been in the United States for at least a
year must take those exams in English.
The
state will also seek permission for some 57,000 eighth-graders studying
algebra to take a Regents exam in lieu of a traditional math test.
Those students are currently required to take both.
Responding
to an outcry over lax standards, the state has taken several steps
since 2009 to improve the quality of exams, including developing new
tests in reading and math that are aligned with the more rigorous Common
Core curriculum. Student passing rates fell sharply when the new exams made their debut last school year, a demoralizing blow for many educators.
Leaders
of teachers’ unions and parents have become increasingly vocal in their
criticism of the state’s efforts. In recent weeks, some parental
leaders have called for Dr. King to resign, saying that the state is
rushing to adopt the Common Core and that it should not use results from
the new exams to evaluate schools, teachers and students.
In New York City, where concerns over testing have seeped into the mayoral race, there was criticism of the state’s plan.
“All
this emphasis is being put on testing, instead of developing an
enriched curriculum that produces real learning for children,” said Jane
Hirschmann, co-chairwoman of Time Out From Testing, a statewide
coalition. “This is not going to satisfy any of us.”
The city’s Education Department, however, praised Dr. King’s efforts.
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