December 2004

THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234

Office of Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education

Dear Educator:

In response to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), states are required to test all students in grades 3-8 in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics by the 2005-2006 academic year. The New York State testing program in grades 4 and 8 that has been in place for the past 6 years is now expanding to meet NCLB requirements. At the same time changes to the mathematics learning standard and performance indicators are under discussion, which will affect instruction and assessment in this area. This letter is being sent to all teachers across New York State who teach in grades K-8, in any subject area, to provide you with the latest information on this new testing program and the changes in mathematics, and links to ongoing web updates.

In a few weeks, your district will receive copies of a booklet entitled Introduction to the Grade 3-8 Testing Program in English Language Arts and Mathematics. This booklet will provide information on test development, test structure, field-testing, and test administration. We hope that it will give all districts a comprehensive overview of our objectives for the program, as well as what to expect on the actual tests.

Along with this Introduction we will release sample items for ELA; sample items for Mathematics will be released within a few weeks. Please remember that these are not complete tests, rather they are examples of prospective test questions. In the fall of 2005, the Department will release a complete set of Parallel Tests for the Grade 3-8 Testing Program, which you will be able to review and use for instructional purposes.

Some web resources that you may find helpful are:

• October 20 Teleconference: streaming video and Powerpoint presentation http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/Revisited/telecon.htm
• Frequently asked questions: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/Revisited/qa.html
• Recommendations of the Mathematics Standards Committee regarding changes to Mathematics - site where updates on mathematics issues will be posted. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/Revisited/revisited.htm
• A calendar of events related to Mathematics http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/Revisited/Calendar.htm
• Information on English Language Arts - site where updates on ELA issues will be posted http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/Revisited/ELA.htm
• A calendar of events related to ELA http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/Revisited/ELACalendar.htm
• New York State 's Virtual Learning System . This web resource, which will be updated in February, will be a repository for all the latest information on these initiatives, the grade-by-grade curricula in both mathematics and ELA and a wealth of instructional resources in all subject areas. http://eservices.nysed.gov/vls/

We are always in need of teachers willing and able to participate in curriculum and assessment activities. If you are interested in participating, please complete the Call for Expertise at. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/call.htm

As always, we are interested in your feedback and questions. You may e-mail us at emscassessinfo@mail.nysed.gov . Thank you for all your help and for the work that you do on behalf of our students.

Sincerely,

David Abrams
Jean C. Stevens

NYSUT's Division of Research and Educational Services serves as the research arm of NYSUT, providing information and assistance to Field Services, to other NYSUT divisions, and to local leaders. In addition, the Division provides a variety of information and workshops to local leaders and to local member organizations.

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