The New York State Education Department’s (NYSED) transition to the widely criticized Common Core testing standards and a legislative proposal to make test scores count for as much as half of teachers’ annual state evaluations has made Long Island the epicenter of a growing anti-testing movement. With testing still ongoing for students in grades 3–8, and non-test takers comprising the majority of these students, Massapequa parents, educators and administrators alike stand on unstable ground.

[aesop_parallax img=”https://thechiefonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/13768053553_942641f0c1_k.jpg” parallaxbg=”off” caption=”Demonstrators gather in front of the New York City Public Library on April 10, 2014 to protest Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed education budget. The debate over Cuomo’s plans for education has intensified over the past year. (Jkrincon // Flickr)” captionposition=”bottom-left” lightbox=”on” floater=”off” floaterposition=”left” floaterdirection=”up”]

The New York State Education Department’s (NYSED) transition to the widely criticized Common Core testing standards and a legislative proposal to make test scores count for as much as half of teachers’ annual state evaluations has made Long Island the epicenter of a growing anti-testing movement.

With testing still ongoing for students in grades 3–8, and non-test takers comprising the majority of these students, Massapequa parents, educators and administrators alike stand on unstable ground.

“In light of the very large refusal numbers and Cuomo’s budget and the legislators, where do we go from here?” a Massapequa resident asked at a board meeting on April 23. “As a community, where do we go? What do we do?”

The school district is just as uncertain.

“It’s a wait and see,” Superintendent of Schools Mrs. Lucille Iconis said. “None of us know what the ramifications will be. We can project, predict, but we don’t know.”

‘Ineffective’ metrics?

At the forefront of the debate over public education are Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York state legislators. Cuomo, planning to turn around schools deemed as consistently failing, has significantly increased the bar for schools and teachers.

“We are redesigning, reforming the entire education system, which is a $50 billion industry in the state,” Cuomo said on a public radio program on April 2, “and arguably the most important thing the government does is education.”

On March 31, the state legislature passed a budget that included various education mandates, including a new teacher evaluation system, removal of tenure protections for poor performance, and new certification requirements that, under Gov. Cuomo’s direction, could make test scores count for as much as 50 percent of a teacher’s Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR).

“The current NYS ELA and Math assessments are used only to rank students, evaluate teachers, and to label schools as ‘failing’ in an effort to increase the number of charter schools,” Massapequa Federation of Teachers (MFT) President Mrs. Tomia Smith said, “and to continue to clear the path for the privatization of our public school system across the country.”

Gov. Cuomo’s proposed changes to education in New York were also criticized for a variety of other factors, including the fact that it was not giving schools enough time to adapt to new standards and placing too much emphasis on test scores.

Assemblyman Joseph Saladino voted against the budget measures citing, among other issues, unfunded education mandates and the need for further reform.

“It is of the utmost importance to me that we keep our region affordable,” Saladino said in a February press release. “We can accomplish that goal by… scaling back or more fully paying for the unfunded, state-mandated programs, such as Medicaid and Common Core… [and] thoroughly and effectively reforming the Common Core mandate in our schools.”

By contrast, state administrators and other legislators suggest that the exams and new evaluation metrics would provide invaluable information about student, teacher, and school performance, and would lead to an increase in education quality.

“This Budget plan stakes out and highlights my priorities for what should be included in the budget,” State Senator Michael Venditto said. “It is a fiscally responsible proposal that should serve as a blueprint for an enacted budget that cuts taxes, creates jobs and invests in education, the environment, and New York’s future.”

The Board of Regents still recognized the resistance of school districts across the state and overrode Cuomo’s plan to adapt the new APPR plan by November 15, moving the deadline for adoption to September 2016.

‘A veil of secrecy’

On top of the battle over teacher evaluations, the content of the tests — and the lack of its availability — has also been called into question.

The basic structure of the state’s elementary assessments remains more or less the same, and other methods have been put in place to gauge a student’s proficiency in different subject areas.

“We… believe in testing: testing that gives us much needed information that will help us fine tune our lessons in order to increase student understanding,” Mrs. Smith said, “such as with our teacher created assessments or the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA).”

However, state tests are now putting teachers’ jobs and schools’ evaluation scores on the line without educators being able to see the exam material. Although practice and previously administered exams have been released by NYSED, these tests predate the state’s adoption of Common Core standards.

[aesop_quote type=”pull” background=”#ffffff” text=”#000000″ width=”400px” align=”right” size=”2″ quote=”‘We… believe in testing: testing that gives us much needed information that will help us fine tune our lessons in order to increase student understanding…'” parallax=”off” direction=”left”]

Moreover, current examinations are not released immediately after administration has concluded, as some questions could be reused at a later date. Students are told that they are not allowed to discuss the tests at all, at the risk of having their tests invalidated. In addition,  teachers typically only see the covers of the test booklet as they are not allowed to open the booklet and read the material tested, for confidentiality purposes.

“As educators, we believe we should be evaluated and have always had a very rigorous evaluation process here in Massapequa,” Mrs. Smith said. “But with the [grade] 3–8 state assessments, there is a veil of secrecy to the content of the exams, as well as to the volatile system that the state uses to determine the ‘growth measure’ scores that are given to teachers.”

[aesop_parallax img=”https://thechiefonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IMG_20150423_204030681.jpg” parallaxbg=”off” caption=”Superintendent of Schools Mrs. Lucille Iconis discusses the testing situation in Massapequa at a Board of Education meeting on April 23. (Nelson Gomez // The Chief)” captionposition=”bottom-left” lightbox=”on” floater=”off” floaterposition=”left” floaterdirection=”up”]

Pencils down

Tensions have now boiled over due to clashes between parents and schools and state officials.

In a move to make a statement against increased use of standardized testing in elementary schools, and in opposition to their children being part of it, 58 percent of households with students in grades 3–8 chose to refuse to take the ELA test, and 61 percent refused to take the math test.

The science tests for fourth and eighth grade have yet to be administered; unlike the two other tests, the science assessment does not count toward teacher evaluations.

The NWEA also provides online assessments which are also counted in state teacher evaluations. However, the district also maintains that the organization offers a valuable tool that provides immediate results and key insights regarding student performance.

“NWEA is designed to really assist the teacher in identifying a child’s strengths and weaknesses, deficit areas, and is administered three times a year,” Mrs. Iconis said. “We have found it quite helpful.”

Some households that chose to have their child opt out specifically asked the district to withdraw their children from any testing that impacts a teacher’s evaluation, or specifically included NWEA materials in their lists of exams to exclude. Between a perceived loss of valuable class time, minimal data for improving classrooms, and their attachment to teacher evaluations, some parents have become fed up.

“As parents, the decision to opt-out was less about the immediate emotional impact of the tests on our son — he manages them well — and more about the long-term effects on his overall education and the education of children in our state,” Kerin Siani, a parent who opted her children out of state testing this year, said.

“I have come to appreciate aspects of the curriculum, especially with regard to modeling in math to develop a deeper meaning of concepts,” Siani added. “I do, however, believe that [Common Core Learning Standards] need to be implemented more slowly and the curriculum needs continual fine tuning.”

A numbers game

The public focus on assessments and the readiness of parents to denounce testing as a solution to low performance marks a rapid change in climate since Mrs. Iconis’ letter in March inviting Gov. Cuomo to “view, firsthand, what a successful school district looks like.”

The letter proudly proclaims that all Massapequa teachers are “effective or highly effective” according to APPR standards. As of now, it remains unclear if this claim will continue to ring true: the future of the Massapequa School District remains shrouded in uncertainty due to the unprecedented withdrawal of students from standardized assessment.

[aesop_quote type=”pull” background=”#ffffff” text=”#000000″ width=”400px” align=”left” size=”2″ quote=”‘When you have a smaller sample, each score is going to contribute more and more… And obviously the teacher has no control.'” cite=”Mr. Robert Schilling” parallax=”off” direction=”left”]

For instance, parents and students who refused testing in the middle of test administration will also still have their tests graded; any parts that they did not take will be counted as zeroes, and the test score will still contribute to teacher evaluations. At least 16 scores are required for an APPR to use state test scores.

“We get concerned with teachers where it comes down to simple statistics,” Executive Director for Assessment & Student Data Mr. Robert Schilling said. “If that teacher only has eight students take [both] the ELA and math tests, that’s 16 scores… When you have a smaller sample, each score is going to contribute more and more… And obviously the teacher has no control.”

There are also teachers who will not have enough scores to count toward their APPR, in which case the state will ask the district to perform an alternate student learning objective evaluation, similar to educators at the high school and departments such as special education.For students who do sit for the state tests, the results may be disappointing. After new Common Core-aligned tests were introduced in 2013, Massapequa students overall scored significantly lower than before.

For students who do sit for the state tests, the results may be disappointing. After new Common Core-aligned tests were introduced in 2013, Massapequa students overall scored significantly lower than before.

The proportion of students who scored Level 3 Proficiency or higher on the eighth grade math assessment, for instance, fell from 87.4 percent in 2012 to 41.4 percent in 2013. Despite having another year to prepare for the same test, performance continued to slide, with only 32 percent reaching this level of proficiency in 2014.

Despite this, overall math scores increased between 2013 and 2014, offering a silver lining in light of suffering performance. Because the current testing standards have only been in place for a couple of years, the district isn’t worried about the statistics.

“School districts across Long Island… experienced a drop in performance due to the new, more rigorous state assessments…” Mrs Iconis said. “… [W]e were not greatly concerned by our students’ performance because we knew that as the new standards became more ingrained in the curriculum student performance would improve.”

A test of time

The impact that the spike in testing opt-outs will have remains dubious, but it’s apparent that parents and teachers alike are highly dissatisfied with the status quo.

Despite the tests being criticized for their unnecessary weight and difficulty, the hardest question to answer may very well be how to move forward in light of this. Gov. Cuomo’s educational legacy is at odds with Massapequa and Long Island’s values. Many across the aisle are frustrated.

“We are fortunate to live in a democracy where people have the right to express their opinions and affect change,” Mrs. Iconis said. “However, generally speaking, testing has always been used in education as a way to determine how instruction needs to improve for the benefit of students. When students do not participate, we cannot get an accurate measure of where we need improvement, opening the possibility for certain deficiencies to go unaddressed.”

And so it seems that progress in reforming New York’s education has stalled, and all parties involved have reached an impasse, with no one willing to budge.

Until the tremors have ceased and a compromise can be reached, students will continue to be in a precarious position — sitting out of tests that have been largely deemed unreasonable by parents and teachers, and lacking assessment metrics for educators and state administrators to work with.