(Long Island, NY) Assemblyman Michael Montesano (R,I,C-Glen Head) signed onto several pieces of legislation today designed to enhance the quality of our public schools and address New Yorkers’ concerns with standardized testing. While Montesano understands and supports the focus on promoting and repairing our education system, he is concerned that the recent changes in testing and privacy may be negatively affecting the abilities of teachers to provide a quality education to our children.
“Our parents, students and teachers alike are bombarded with new standards and tests, not to mention being watched over by third party corporations interested in collecting and utilizing the data produced by these changes in curriculum and requirements,” said Montesano. “We need to take a step back and ensure these companies are not trampling upon the privacy rights of our children, as well as assess whether or not the cost of standardized testing is impinging on our educators’ ability to provide the quality education all our students need and deserve.”
Assembly bill 6059 concerns student confidentiality, allowing for parental consent for their children’s personal information to be shared with the corporations and third party entities school districts interact with. Bill 6093 would prohibit the standardized tests issued to kindergarteners and first-graders to be used for anything other than for assessment and diagnostic purposes, while Assembly bill 6094 calls for a statewide review of standardized testing to assess the cost on schools of implementing these exams and to see if precious classroom resources are being allocated to prepare for them at the expense of providing a quality education.
