News Item
Higher educational standards will bring 'bumps in road'
July 2010
The following letter was written by Sullivan County Superintendents Lawrence Thomas (BOCES), Robert Dufour (Eldred), Ivan Katz (Fallsburg), Michael Vanyo (Liberty), Deborah Fox (Livingston Manor), Patrick Michel (Monticello), Kenneth Hilton (Sullivan West), John Evans (Roscoe) and Thomas Palmer (Tri-Valley) to help explain the changes in the way the state will be classifying student scores on the grades 3-8 assessments.
There has been no time in American
history when the link between academic preparation and future
economic opportunities has been stronger than it is today.
If America hopes to compete successfully in a global economy and
worldwide labor market, we must ensure that our students receive the
finest education in the world. Higher standards must be set and held
for our students, and rigorous teaching and learning must permeate
every classroom. We know this. We're committed to seeing this
happen.
Thus we applaud the new directions being set by New York state's new
educational leadership — Commissioner of Education David Steiner,
Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch and Deputy Commissioner
John King — as they "raise the bar" of student learning and
achievement across the state.
But it's inevitable that there will be at least some "bumps in the
road" on the way to higher standards. The first "bumps" will likely
come in late July when the state Education Department releases
results of the 2009-10 English language arts and math tests for
grades 3-8.
In past years, these tests were administered at midyear, typically
in January and March. But this year, 2009-10, the administration
dates of these tests were moved back several months to May. Because
the tests will now measure three or four additional months of
learning at each grade level, and because of the commitment of the
new leaders in the Education Department, the grading "cut scores" on
these tests are being adjusted upward to reflect and better measure
higher standards. (For information, the cut score is simply the line
drawn by the department to distinguish the various levels: a Level 2
from a Level 3, for example. Our intention is that all students
score at a Level 3 or 4.) When the results of these tests are
released to the public, it's likely that we'll see a dip in scores
across the state and at each grade level.
We wanted our communities to know about these new "cut scores" and
how they'll affect students' scores — and school districts' scores —
before the newspapers print the results. No doubt we'll hit other
"bumps in the road" on the way to higher standards in future months
and years as the Education Department raises the "cut scores" and
standards of other tests in other grade levels.
Higher standards will require harder, more rigorous and challenging
work from us all, teachers, parents, and students, but especially
students. Those who rise to these academic challenges will succeed
and flourish in the 21st-century world.
But those students who treat school casually, thinking that it's
"business as usual," will become casualties of these higher
standards. We all have a huge stake in the successes of today's
students — the workers and leaders of tomorrow. Steiner, Tisch and
King aren't just "talking" about higher standards.
They're serious. So are we. Let's work together to ensure that our
students succeed.
More details about the changes are posted on the NY State Education Department's (NYSED) website GO
New York to raise standards, regrade English and math assessment tests (Syracuse website)
CLICK HERE for this letter in the Times Herald-Record.
RELATED STORY: Changes suggested in scoring process for Regents exams (THR)