ALBANY, N.Y. Aug. 22, 2017 — New York State United Teachers said state test scores released today are “virtually meaningless.”
“They don’t count for students or teachers — and they shouldn’t count. They are derived from a broken testing system; are rooted in standards that are no longer being taught; and — for now — are the foundation of a totally discredited teacher evaluation system,” said NYSUT President Andy Pallotta. “The test-and-punish era damaged the trust and confidence of parents in our public education system, as evidenced by the continuing strength of the opt-out movement, and we believe dramatic changes are needed to win them back.”
Pallotta said the state must repeal its unreliable and unfair teacher evaluation system. Lawmakers and the Regents, he said, “must listen carefully to educators and parents, and adopt a fair evaluation system that totally decouples teachers’ evaluations from student test scores; respects the wishes of local school boards and educators through collective bargaining; and reflects the teaching and learning experiences that parents, teachers and students want stressed in their own individual schools.”
NYSUT, he noted, has long argued that student test results should be used for their intended purposes — to provide a look at the “big picture” and, at the school level, to guide instruction and help teachers better serve their students.
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.
For more information