FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 14, 2014

More information contact:

Eric Mihelbergel (716) 553-1123; nys.allies@gmail.com
Lisa Rudley (917) 414-9190; nys.allies@gmail.com
NYS Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE) www.nysape.org
Parents and Educators Reject the Tests, the Scores and Corporate Agenda of NYSED & Pearson
Today Commissioner John King and Chancellor Merryl Tisch released the test scores of the state exams
in 3-8
th
grades, showing that, more than 68% of the states students were judged not proficient in
English Language Arts (ELA) and more than 64% not proficient in Math. The overall results were largely
flat with little to no change year over year with only small gains and drops for specific demographic
groups.

Members of the New York State Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE), a coalition of more than 50 parent
and educator advocacy groups, challenge the quality of the tests, the accuracy of the scores, and the
motives of those who have manufactured these results. This past spring, NYSAPE estimated that at least
44,000 students had opted out of the state exams; today the Commissioner admitted that the number
was as large as 60,000 compared to 10,000 in 2013.
As the growing problems with New York's excessive and speculative testing reforms are exposed,
parents across the state are outraged and calling for an overhaul at the state education department.
Lisa Rudley, Westchester county public school parent and founding member of NYSAPE said, Though
Commissioner John King assured us that the new Common Core state tests would be a much better
reflection of the skills students will need for college and career success with the release of 50% of the
questions last week, we learned what educators were forbidden by law from telling us: these were
flawed tests, riddled with vague questions, inappropriate reading passages and multiple product
placements. In its new Pearson contract signed amidst a financial crisis, NYSED doubled annual spending
on testing and even worse, eliminated the transparency of the previous McGraw-Hill contract. Where is
the management from NYSED and the oversight from the Board of Regents?"
Dr. Carol Burris, principal of South Side High School on Long Island said, "Considering the more than $28
million taxpayer investment in curriculum modules, this paltry increase in scores is one more indication
of the ineffectiveness of State Education Department's reforms, and the inappropriateness of the
Common Core tests. Parents should take heart in knowing that the college readiness proficiency scores
have no connection with reality. My high school and many other well-resourced high schools in NY have
proven records of preparing students for college success that are no way connected to the state's
newest measure of proficiency."

Eric Mihelbergel, Erie County public school parent and founding member of NYSAPE said, "If the released
questions are this bad, you have to wonder how much worse the other half were. I have no confidence
in the results released today. Parents now demand new leadership for a Board of Regents and
Commissioner of Education who repeatedly fail to adequately respond to their legitimate concerns.
Many of the multiple choice questions required up to five steps and compelled 8 year olds to flip back
forth between numbered paragraphs. The question becomes more of a measure of attention, memory
and test taking skills rather than their deep understanding of a text. The commissioner has stated that
education should not be about test prep, but these tricky assessments all but ensure that test prep will
continue -- to the detriment of real learning, said Bianca Tanis, an Ulster County public school parent
and special education teacher.

Jeanette Deutermann, Nassau County public school parent and founder of Long Opt Out said, This past
spring, 55,000 to 60,000 New York State students were spared from yet another year of test scores that
were designed to show a large majority of failures. The number of opt outs will steadily grow until
NYSED takes the concerns of parents seriously and makes the necessary changes to our children's
excessive high stakes testing regimen. High stakes testing and the Regents Agenda have hijacked our
classrooms, and every day more parents become aware of how they too must protect their children
from these harmful policies.
Jessica McNair, Oneida County public school parent and educator notes, "Until the NYSED acknowledges
that these developmentally inappropriate exams take time away from instruction, cost taxpayers, and
set kids up to fail -- in an attempt to perpetuate the false narrative of Governor Cuomos death
penalty for schools -- parents will continue to refuse to allow their children to participate in these state
tests.

The test content was not sufficiently disclosed and there was no quality assurance or mechanism for
parents or educators to obtain valuable feedback. The bottom line is that students are getting hurt,
money is being wasted and precious time is being spent on high stakes testing at the expense of more
meaningful instruction. The system surrounding the NYS testing program is dysfunctional to say the
least, said Anna Shah, Dutchess County public school parent.

Fred Smith, a test specialist formerly with the NYC Department of Education (DOE) stated, The State
Education Department took a half-step by releasing 50 percent of the English and math questions from
the April 2014 exams. It was a half-step not just because it falls halfway short of full disclosure, but also
because SED fails to provide data at its disposal that would enable objective evaluation of the questions,
each of which is a brick in the wall of the testing program.

Like many other parents, I see how flawed the tests are as a measure of learning, and fear for all those
millions of students who are told, unjustly, and at an early age, they arent college and career ready.
These tests which ask our children to prove the existence of Big Foot and expose them to numerous and
inappropriate product placements are the furthest from rigor one could imagine. I question the motives
of the bureaucrats and the testing companies who are forcing these inappropriate exams onto our
children to try to prove to the public that our schools and children are failing, so they can better
pursue their privatization agenda and the outsourcing of education into corporate hands, said Leonie
Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters.
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