The public will now have a chance to weigh-in on revisions to the state's Learning Standards for Math and English. The Common Core is now being referred to asNew York State P-12 English Language Arts and Mathematics Learning Standards. WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley says the New York State Education Department (NYSED) released its revisions Tuesday.
“These revised learning standards include substantive changes from our current learning standards,” stated MaryEllen Elia, Commissioner of NYSED.
Commissioner Elia held a conference call with reporters Tuesday to outline revisions.
Included in changes for the English standards is a call to foster life-long readers and writers and for math include clarification of standards so educators, students and parents have a better understanding of expectations.
Elia said the revisions would include resources to help with students with disabilities and English Language Learners. WBFO asked her about how that would work.
“So that as teachers English Language Learners are implementing the standards, that they’ll have opportunities to see at what point they need to scaffold and provide more help for English Language Learners to get to that standard level,” Elia said.
Revisions follow a two-year effort that included teachers and parents following the large public-outcry over the Common Core Learning Standards.
“Most certainly the Common Core is a tainted name. Hopefully we made some realistic changes to the standards here in New York State and they are not just superficial with the name change.”
Springville parent Chris Cerrone is with Western New Yorkers for Public Education. Cerrone is anxious to read the full details of the revisions.
“So even if these standards were of high quality, opt out parents are still going to be looking to change the test formats and change the fact that they are tied to teacher evaluations and school ratings because that again will narrow the focus to producing high test scores in ELA and Math and we are not going to be getting history, science, the art and hands-on learning and whole child learning in when the focus will be test scores,” Cerrone remarked.
The education department released the revisions on the same day students in third through eighth grade began their state math assessments. Once again Cerrone said his children “opted out”
The learning standard revisions will be presented to the State Board of Regents next Tuesday, May 9, before a final vote is expected in June. The public has until June 2 to submit comments.
