TESTING RESOLUTION INTRODUCED AT 11/7 BOE MEETING

WHEREAS, the mission of the North Shore Central School District is to inspire all students to be confident, passionate learners with the courage and skills to lead their lives with integrity, while contributing to our global community with creativity and compassion; and

WHEREAS, our nation’s and New York State’s future well-being relies on a high-quality public education system that prepares all students for college, careers, citizenship and lifelong learning, and strengthens the nation’s social and economic well-being; and

WHEREAS, our nation’s school systems have been spending growing amounts of time, money and energy on high-stakes standardized testing, in which student performance on standardized tests is used to make major decisions affecting individual students, educators and schools; and

WHEREAS, the overreliance on high-stakes standardized testing in state and federal accountability systems is undermining educational quality and equity in U.S. public schools by hampering educators' efforts to focus on the broad range of learning experiences that promote the innovation, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and deep subject-matter knowledge that will allow students to thrive in a democracy and an increasingly global society and economy; and

WHEREAS, it is widely recognized that standardized testing is an inadequate and often unreliable measure of both student learning and educator effectiveness; and

WHEREAS, the over-emphasis on standardized testing has caused considerable collateral damage in too many schools, including narrowing the curriculum, teaching to the test, reducing love of learning, pushing students out of school, driving excellent teachers out of the profession, and undermining school climate; and

WHEREAS, high-stakes standardized testing has negative effects for students from all backgrounds, and especially for low-income students, English language learners, children of color, and those with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, Race to the Top funding does not adequately address significant costs associated with the implementation of the new APPR and Common Core Learning Standards such as hiring professionals to ensure local assessments at grades 4-8 are valid, or other test construction and implementation costs; and

WHEREAS, we do not oppose accountability in public schools, but believe that standardized tests dominate instructional time and block our ability to make progress toward a world-class education system of student-centered schools and future-ready students; therefore be it

RESOLVED that the North Shore Central School District will emphasize district measures of teacher effectiveness over state measures and standardized test scores. 

RESOLVED that the North Shore Central School District will emphasize district measures of authentic student progress and engagement over state measures and standardized test scores. Scores from state mandated testing will not be used beyond what state and federal law requires. 

RESOLVED that the North Shore Central School District will evaluate the Common Core Curriculum Standards to determine which are not developmentally appropriate for our students and minimize their impact on our teaching and learning.

RESOLVED that the North Shore Central School District will emphasize a curriculum rich in all areas of education including but not limited to art, music, science, social studies and foreign languages, and will actively work to prevent a narrowing of our educational standards to match those of the Common Core Learning Standards.

RESOLVED that the North Shore Central School District will minimize the impact of standardized testing by limiting test practice.

RESOLVED that the North Shore Central School District will actively protect the privacy of student data in accordance with its policies.

RESOLVED that the North Shore Central School District calls on Governor Cuomo, Commissioner King, the State Legislature, and the Board of Regents to reexamine public school accountability systems in this state, including the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) and to develop a system based on multiple forms of assessment which does not require extensive standardized testing, more accurately reflects the broad range of student learning, and is used to support students and improve schools; and

RESOLVED, that the North Shore Central School District calls on the U.S. Congress and Administration to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (currently known as the “No Child Left Behind Act"), reduce the testing mandates, promote multiple forms of evidence of student learning and school quality in accountability, and not mandate any fixed role for the use of student test scores in evaluating educators.


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