Current NY State law STILL requires that teacher evaluations be based 50% on student test scores. The “moratorium” has put the use of state ELA and Math tests on hold for 4 years, but many teachers ... [Continue Reading]
Testing Task Force
The Testing Task Force is a group of parents and teachers who have come together to extend community-wide dialogue on the impacts of federal, state, and NYC Department of Education testing policies in the daily life of our children and teachers. In the past ten years, New York City schools have implemented more high-stakes tests across more grades with more influence on teachers and students' lives than at any other point in the school system’s history. Concerned parents of 321 children believe that the increase in high stakes testing has had and will continue to have negative effects that affect all children in NYC schools: teachers face increased pressure to teach to the test; children feel increased pressure to perform; curriculum is narrowed with an overwhelming focus on ELA and Math at the expense of other school subjects. PS 321's Testing Task Force is not against testing; we believe tests are extremely useful, if they are valid and used thoughtfully and carefully as true measures of student learning and growth. The Task Force's goal is to educate the community about changes being made to testing policy and the actions being taken to influence those policy changes at the district, city, state and national level.
Co-Chairs:
No Field Testing at PS 321
From the School Leadership Team in May 2016: After careful discussion and consideration, PS 321’s School Leadership Team (SLT) has voted unanimously that PS 321 will not administer the standalone ... [Continue Reading]
Testing Taskforce Meeting Notes – March 16, 2016
In other testing news, on March 16, 2016, the Testing Task Force hosted the PTA meeting: Let's Talk About the Tests. From 8-8:30 Teachers spoke, sharing their thoughts about high-stakes testing and ... [Continue Reading]
PTA Meeting THIS WED (3/16): Let’s Talk About the Tests
Join us for a very important PTA meeting this Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 8am. PS 321 teachers will share their thoughts on high stakes testing and how these tests impact their students, ... [Continue Reading]
Join our first meeting
Mark your calendars — this Wednesday, October 14th at 6:30 pm. Come for an overview of how the tests have changed over the past 10 years, the latest on the new teacher evaluation law and plans for ... [Continue Reading]
The history of high stakes testing
Please take a look at the history of high stakes tests: The history of high stakes testing Oct 2015 ... [Continue Reading]
Testing Task Force Alert
The Regents will be holding a vote at their September 16-17 meeting to make the new teacher evaluation law permanent. We ask that you consider emailing the Regents to urge them to vote “no.” The June ... [Continue Reading]
Action Alert: Upcoming Board of Regents Vote September 16-17
Last June the Board of Regents approved a temporary teacher evaluation plan that placed more weight than ever before on standardized tests (roughly 50%), despite the fact that this has no basis in ... [Continue Reading]