NYS Public Education 2014- A Sad State of Affairs

Opt-out, APPR, common core standards, high stake testing-how did we get here?  Indulge me as I over generalize – but I think the cycle goes like this; home values are based on successful schools.  School success is defined by performance on standardized tests.   Districts teach to the test to insure good results.  When the test changes and no one knows the content being assessed scores drop and a panic ensues.  Districts start to over react to the drop in scores and over emphasize test prep abandoning good teaching methodology and start chasing better results.  Add to this mix that part of certain teachers evaluations are based on student performance and it is a recipe for disaster.  Welcome to NYS public education 2014.  School leaders need to recognize this paradigm and take steps to mitigate this.  Some suggestions:

· Don’t fear the APPR

- The likelihood that a teacher will be dismissed using the current APPR construct is remote.  To perpetuate that notion is foolish.  Student achievement results are a small part of a system that educates the whole child.

· Control the curriculum

- Just because the NYSED created modules doesn’t mean Districts have to use them.  Create time for teachers to collaborate and write curriculum.  Some teachers prefer the modules because everything is laid out for them while others feel they stifle creativity.  You must find the happy medium and create curriculum that capitalizes on teachers experience with the content.

· Support teachers

- Creating the curriculum is one thing; helping teachers navigate new content and methodologies is paramount.   Invest in professional developers that are not administrators to help model lessons and unpack the standards

· Don’t test prep

- Why spend countless hours preparing students for an exam when the content is unknown? We need to focus our class time on engaging students in authentic learning activities that require students to think

· Learning is supposed to be fun

- Promote fun- instill a love of learning in children while challenging them in rigorous content.  This is why a great teacher is worth his/her weight in gold

· Figure out how to measure growth in the standards

- The standards are designed to examine student work in very specific areas to determine student growth.  Electronic portfolios that accurately capture work in the standards should be the goal of effective assessments.

I think we can all agree that the State assessments are “not ready for prime time” yet we continue to use them as the benchmark to determine successful schools.  As long as society continues to promote this myopic view of successful schools we will continue to organize curriculum and practice to deliver results.  I find it ironic that Newsday’s cover story is about the number of student opt-outs on the State exam and then they direct readers to last year’s test scores.  Maybe the silver lining of the “opt-out” movement will be that it will lead to a better definition of a successful school.  Ultimately don’t we want kids to be challenged in appropriate content at their level while simultaneously enjoying school?  How do you measure that?