Call for a Moratorium on High Stakes Testing Consequences
(Long Island, NY) “The precipitous drop in student test scores confirms what we have been saying all along: schools are not getting the adequate resources that they need to prepare their students for college and careers. Ultimately, setting the bar high will not produce results when the resources needed to meet that bar are not provided,” said Billy Easton, Executive Director of the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE). There remains an $8,600 gap in funding per student between rich and poor districts. The schools with more funding performed much better on these tests than underfunded high and average need schools. In fact, schools with greater funding needs saw a much sharper drop in student proficiency on these tests. Shortchanging schools and educators will only set them up for failure with the new Common Core assessments.
In addition, we are calling for a one year moratorium on the high stakes consequences of these test scores. Schools, principals, and teachers should not be evaluated based on tests that were not met with adequate resources. The obsession with testing has shifted the focus away from actual learning and has forced schools to teach to the test. Albany needs to wake up and provide the leadership and vision necessary to get schools what they need in order to prepare students not just for a test, but for college and careers.”
“Today’s test score plunge confirms the obvious: New York’s steadfast refusal to provide students the resources needed to achieve the new Common Core standards. This is obvious because the state failed to adequately fund the old standards, especially for at-risk students. The state has no business imposing new tests on local districts and schools when it won’t fund the true cost of giving all students a fair opportunity to perform,” said David Sciarra, Executive Director of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, a project of the Education Law Center. “It’s also time to delay the Common Core tests and consequences until New York can show it’s providing school funding linked to the actual cost of delivering the new standards in all districts and schools and providing students with the opportunity to learn.”
