After a long and stressful year for teachers, administrators, parents and especially students preparing for the new elementary state exams, we finally have the results. State Education Commissioner John King told us even before the tests were administered that scores would "likely drop by 30 points." And drop they did.
King tells us this shouldn't cause us concern; it's only due to higher standards brought on by the new Common Core Learning Standards. The results, he said, don't reflect a decrease in school or student performance, and "are not a critique of past efforts; they're a new starting point on a road map to future success."
King's words are not very reassuring. We have a problem here and there are several possibilities, none of which will bring solace to parents or students.
First, it may be we have been woefully preparing children in New York. If these scores accurately reflect the performance of our current student body, 69 percent of students are not proficient on the college and career readiness track. This is an alarming number, and someone must explain what exactly our schools have been doing for the last several years. This poor performance leaves many students at an extreme disadvantage for the rest of their school careers.
A second possibility could be the CCLS hasn't been adequately vetted before being forced upon our students. For example, the first-grade English language arts curriculum includes vocabulary words such as cuneiform, sarcophagus, and ziggurat Is this appropriate for 6-year old children?
In math, standard teaching methods of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division have all been bumped up to later grades and replaced with teaching shortcuts in the early years. If the goal is creating college- and career-ready students, the CCLS administrators need to understand, correct answers aren't optional in the real world.
The final and scariest scenario, the tests were specifically designed and scored in order to create a low baseline that ensures continued success in future years. This explanation isn't coming from conspiracy theorists but from respected members of the education community. Teresa Thayer Snyder, Voorheesville superintendent, wrote, "These tests were intentionally designed to obtain precisely the outcomes that were rendered ... over the next few years, scores will 'improve' — not necessarily student learning, but scores. They must, because the state accepted millions and millions of dollars to increase student scores and increase graduation rates."
It's no surprise the State Education Department was interested in receiving the federal funds. According to the state School Board Association, the SED collects 70 percent of its operating budget via the federal government to support its 2,600 employees. Could it be the decision to implement CCLS had more to do with keeping the SED on solid financial footing over the best interest of our children? Imagine what these funds could do if redirected toward the actual schools educating our children.
Then, to top it all off, one of the key measures for evaluating teachers during their annual reviews are these same tests. The same tests King said "are not a critique of past efforts." So even if CCLS ends up being the best solution for improving our schools, the teachers will teach to the test because their careers depend on the results. All this will do is create expert test-takers, not college-ready students.
It's time to rethink the educational strategy in New York, because our children deserve so much more.
Commissioner King, the parents of New York students are looking for answers.