The New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) union says the “test-and-punish”
emphasis in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget — including a push to more than double
the weight of state tests — is not research-based; would increase stress on
students; and would rob parents, teachers and school boards of their voice in
local education decisions.
New York
State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in
education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American
Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.
NYSUT said its analysis of Cuomo’s proposal shows the plan flies in the
face of a growing body of research challenging the use of standardized
tests for high-stakes decisions about teaching and learning.
“The governor’s irresponsible plan would hurt students by intensifying the
state’s fixation on standardized testing — in direct contradiction to what kids
need and what parents have asked for,” said NYSUT President Karen Magee. “His
‘billionaires’ agenda’ ignores the real needs of students. To improve
on our already strong public education system and its quality
teaching force, the governor should be supporting teachers, not scapegoating
them.”
Magee added, “What’s crystal-clear is that the governor has not been
listening to parents and teachers. We don’t need a greater emphasis on
high-stakes testing. There’s no outcry to create greater incentives to ‘teach to
the test.’ I haven’t heard any parents say, ‘I want my child to focus
less
on real learning and
more on ‘fill in the bubble’ state tests.’ It
seems only the governor and his hedge-fund friends want to subject
the state’s most precious resource — its children — to even more pressure
from high-stakes tests.”
Meanwhile, she said, the governor is holding school-aid runs hostage
to his attack on public education and the teaching profession. She
reiterated her call for a sustained commitment to what all
students need.
“Our public schools need a state budget that corrects years
of neglect and inequality, and that invests much more in those communities
serving the most vulnerable in our society.”
NYSUT Vice President Catalina Fortino, who oversees NYSUT’s Department
of Research and Educational Services, said a growing body of
research challenges reliance on state standardized tests in high-stakes
decisions.
An April 2014 study, for example, by the American Statistical
Association (ASA) found that value-added measures (VAM) based on
standardized tests do not directly measure potential teacher contributions
toward other student outcomes.
The ASA report said, “Most VAM studies find that teachers account for about
1 percent to 14 percent of the variability in test scores, and
that the majority of opportunities for quality improvement are found in the
system-level conditions. Ranking teachers by their VAM scores can have
unintended consequences that reduce quality.”
The ASA noted this is not saying teachers have little effect on students,
but that variation among teachers accounts for a small part of the variation in
scores. The majority of the variation in test scores is attributable to
factors outside of the teacher’s control, such as student and family
background, poverty, curriculum and unmeasured influences.
“The governor wants to silence the voices of parents and
educators,” Fortino said. “He is ignoring the research, and what educators
and democratically elected school boards know is best for their children
in their own local communities — less testing and more learning. It cannot be
clearer: The governor’s approach is wrong for students and public schools.”
A resolution passed
Jan.
24 by the NYSUT Board of Directors emphasizes that point, saying, “We
affirm NYSUT’s commitment to teaching — not testing — as school’s primary
activity.”
--Jennie Grey
--Please note my new contact information below--
Education reporter
The Saratogian and The Record newspapers
20 Lake Ave.
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
jgrey@digitalfirstmedia.com
Office: 518-290-3898
Work cell: 518-222-2109
Blog: "Extra Credit: Education News from Around the Region": http://regionaleducation.blogspot.com/
