ALBANY, N.Y. March 6, 2014 – New York State United Teachers today said the Assembly's vote to delay the high-stakes consequences of standardized testing for students and teachers is an important step forward.
"There are some very positive pieces in this bill that go a long way toward addressing issues raised by the State Education Department's flawed implementation of the Common Core standards," said NYSUT President Richard C. Iannuzzi. "We continue to believe strongly in high academic standards for all students and call again for the state to provide the time and resources to 'get it right.' This two-year moratorium will provide a real opportunity for educators and parents to decide whether Common Core testing or, in fact, the Common Core is right for New York state."
Among other corrections, the Assembly bill, passed with bipartisan support, would ban most standardized testing in pre-k through second-grade; limit other standardized testing; delay the dissemination of sensitive student data; provide more professional development for teachers; and delay for two years the use of standardized test scores in high-stakes decisions for students and teachers.
"The voices of parents and teachers all across the state, who want to return the focus to teaching and learning, clearly resonated with Assembly members, and we appreciate their support," said NYSUT Executive Vice President Andrew Pallotta. "We look forward to working with the Senate and the governor's office to ensure that the botched implementation of the Common Core standards does not unfairly penalize students or teachers."
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.
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