ALBANY, N.Y. Nov. 14, 2016 — New York State United Teachers today released the following statement on the State Education Department’s decision to disregard the concerns of parents and educators and keep three days of standardized testing in English Language Arts and Math for students in grades 3-8 for both 2016-17 and 2017-18.
“Despite a fierce outcry against the length of state standardized tests by parents and educators, the State Education Department is punting on the changes needed to move forward. So much for listening. What’s worse than SED’s failure to heed the legitimate concerns of parents and educators, however, is its indefensible rationale for not reducing the number of test days from three to two. With wholesale changes expected to the state’s standards, tests and evaluations — and a moratorium on the use of test results for students and teachers in place through 2019-20 — there is no reason to continue to subject children to three days of standardized tests that mean little. NYSUT strongly encourages the State Education Department to reconsider, and to continue to work with stakeholders to develop age- and developmentally appropriate assessments that are fair and meaningful. Teaching and learning must always take precedence over testing.”
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.
SED Press Release