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Testing, funding top protest issues

Times Union - December 9, 2013, by Kristen Brown - Education, labor and civic organizations gathered Monday at the Capitol to call for more public school funding and an end to the "tyranny of standardized testing" — a small showing that was part of a larger "National Day of Action" on which dozens of similar events took place across the state and nation.

The day was only the latest demonstration of a growing opposition against what critics deride as an education reform movement dominated by excessive standardized testing and the use of those tests as the chief measure of assessing schools, students and teachers.

In New York, that opposition has taken shape largely as criticism of the state's implementation of the Common Core, the rigorous new curriculum standards intended to give students a deeper understanding of what they learn.

On Monday, New York State United Teachers, the Alliance for Quality Education, Citizen Action of New York and others largely reiterated past demands: a three-year moratorium on using Common Core-aligned test results to judge performance, more dollars for public education and movement away from corporate influence in education reform.

Maria Neira, NYSUT's vice president, said that those assembled at the Capitol wore blue in a showing of solidarity and also because they were "feeling blue" over the state of public education.

"What's happening is school funding has dropped and emphasis on testing has risen," said Billy Easton, Alliance for Quality Education's executive director.

Shenendehowa PTA President Kerensa Rybak said testing is "stripping classrooms of creativity" and caused her own daughter to "dread each weekday."

Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, a former president of the Albany city school board, said testing has caused "a lot of stress in the classroom."

But on a Monday visit to the Times Union, Education Commissioner John King rejected a slew of criticisms launched against the Common Core and him in recent months.

He countered that it is a misconception that the Common Core itself has increased the amount of testing students are required to complete, charging that it "has not added any tests" and questioning "from what exactly" opponents are seeking a moratorium.

"We have been very careful to make sure that the first year of (test) results didn't disadvantage anyone," he said.

King also addressed a major public critique of his personal life: Though he is the head of New York state's public education system, King sends his two young daughters to Woodland Hill Montessori, a private school that describes itself as "nestled in the hills of North Greenbush."

Asked what it might take to make him comfortable sending his kids to public school, King responded, "It's not that I'm uncomfortable."

"It's not about public versus private; it's about finding the right environment for your child," he said. "Woodland Hills has been great for my girls."

Some of the criticism of King's decision to send his own children to private school stems from an accusation that his daughters are not subject to the same Common Core standards and assessments the state is rolling out. King refuted that point as well, arguing that Woodland Hills has also implemented the new standards.

"Woodland Hills has been great for Common Core," he said.

NYSUT has also drafted a letter to King at the state Board of Regents outlining a set of "resolutions for 2014" to "reclaim the promise of public education."

The letter states that "underfunding, an undemocratic tax cap, lack of access to public higher education, rushed implementation of new standards and evaluations, an obsession with testing, lack of support for teaching and learning, insufficient staffing and layoffs all jeopardize the promise of public education."

The Regents are slated to present their proposal for state aid to schools for the 2014-15 school year next week.

On Monday, the advocates coalition called for $1.9 billion in additional aid for the coming fiscal year, which begins in April. That number could be wishful thinking: Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed using surplus state funds for a tax relief of some kind.

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