The Good News About New York Students’ Low Test Scores

July 20, 2015

By Erik Engquist | Crain’s New York

“It’s inevitable: When New York’s standardized test scores are discussed, everyone focuses on the portion of students achieving proficiency. And, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo often points out, that number is under 40%.

“Thirty-one percent of third to eighth graders are proficient in English, but 99% of the teachers are rated effective; 35% of third to eighth graders are proficient in math but 98% of the math teachers are rated effective,” Mr. Cuomo boomed in his state of the state address in January. “Who are we kidding, my friends?””

A Lesson in Teaching: Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carmen Farina Oversee Significant Staff Turnover at Two Troubled Schools

July 16, 2015

New York Daily News Editorial Board

“Two of the city’s worst-performing schools are on track to get a desperately needed infusion of fresh teaching talent.

Give credit to Mayor de Blasio, Chancellor Carmen Fariña and leaders at Automotive and Boys and Girls high schools for taking a crucially important step forward.”

Most NYC High School Graduates at CUNY Need Remedial Classes

July 5, 2015

By Aaron Short
New York Post

“New York City high school graduates who enroll at CUNY often aren’t ready for college, according to data showing the rising number of freshmen in need of remedial help.

An astonishing 78.3 percent of CUNY community college students who graduated from city high schools in 2014 enrolled in remedial courses this past school year, up from 77.6 percent the year before.”

America’s Promise to a New Generation

July 5, 2015

By Geoffrey Canada
New York Daily News

“In the 1960s, when I was a young boy growing up in the South Bronx, the poorest Congressional District in the United States, children around me were being lost to gangs, crime, drugs and lousy schools.

I, though, was sustained by a dream. My mother, a single woman, and my grandparents convinced me that if I went to school, worked hard and graduated from college, I could get out of the neighborhood, get a good job and live a “good life.””

Delay in the New Teacher Evaluations Can’t be the First Step in a Complete Cave-In

May 26, 2015

The Buffalo News Opinion

“That was fast.

Hardly six weeks after passing a new state budget that included important changes in the teacher evaluation system and aggressive deadlines for imposing them, the Assembly retreated en masse, voting 135-1 to slow it down.”

Assembly Panders to Teachers on Evaluations

May 25, 2015

Newsday Editorial Board

“The bill on education and teacher evaluations passed 135-1 last week by the State Assembly is almost certainly a dead end, but it may have set some sort of speed record. After all, the Assembly, Senate and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo had agreed to a new evaluation plan less than two months ago.”

‘Opt-Out’ Becomes Anti-Test Rallying Cry in New York State

May 20, 2015

By Elizabeth A. Harris and Ford Fessenden
The New York Times

“BOICEVILLE, N.Y. — It started with a speech in the fall, to parents who had gathered in the auditorium to learn what to expect during the nascent school year.

“I spoke at the open house and said, ‘We hope you’ll opt out of the tests,’ ” said Heather Roberts, vice president of the Bennett Intermediate School parent teacher association. Last year, 92 percent of eligible students in the Catskill Mountains district that includes Boiceville took their standardized English tests. “Jaws dropped.””

The Importance of Teacher Evaluations

May 17, 2015

By Jenny Sedlis
City & State

“The greatest single factor impacting a student’s ability to learn is the quality of the teacher in the classroom. But right now, parents across the state cannot count on a system that rates 95 percent of teachers across New York state as effective, despite the fact that just a third of public school students are considered proficient in English and math. Something doesn’t add up and something has to change so students across the state get the education they deserve no matter what school they attend. Central to that improvement is developing a better system to assess the educators.”

[VIDEO] Derrell Bradford on Teacher Evaluations

May 16, 2015

By Gerson Borrero
City & State

“As the unresolved battle surrounding the New York State assessment of students’ academic achievement rages, City & State Editor-at-Large Gerson Borrero discusses the issue with Derrell Bradford, Executive Director of the New York Campaign for Achievement Now and a member of High Achievement New York.”

Video Here

Most New Yorkers Say Exam Results Should be Used to Rate Teachers: Poll

April 27, 2015

By Carl Campanile
New York Post

“Two-thirds of New Yorkers say student results on Common Core exams should be used to rate teachers, according to a poll released Monday.

Of the 67 percent of voters who support linking test results to teacher evaluations, 39 percent said the results should count for 25 percent of an educator’s score, 19 percent it should cover half the grade and 9 percent said it should count more than 50 percent, the Sienna College Poll found.”

Partnership for Educational Justice