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BYRAM HILLS BOARD OF EDUCATION
RESOLUTION ON NEW YORK STATE AND FEDERAL TESTING
Adopted by the Board of Education
June 18, 2002
WHEREAS the Byram Hills School District has demonstrated
both its support for New York State Standards, as articulated by
the State Education Department, and the success of its students
on various assessments of their performance against those standards,
we respectfully ask the Commissioner, Board of Regents, and State
Education Department to consider the following steps which relieve
the burden of excessive testing.
Step 1: While continuing to require 8th grade tests in English
Language Arts and Mathematics, allow all other required tests at
the middle school level to be performance assessments developed
locally or regionally and administered at grades in the middle school
years deemed appropriate by the local district.
School districts with 90% or more of their population exceeding state
standards in English and math require time to enhance existing performance
assessments to evaluate students with multiple measurement tools.
This is particularly appropriate for science and social studies. School
districts with less than 90% of their students not meeting state standards
require time to develop effective academic intervention schedules,
and appropriate strategies.
Step 2: In developing New York State plans for the implementation
of the new Federal testing requirements in 2005, take every advantage
of the flexibility offered by the Federal guidelines to identify
and allow a variety of possible assessments, rather than a single
state test at each level.
Building and developing local capacity to assess student performance
is critical to long-term success for New York State school districts.
Local districts which successfully employ existing testing programs
should be recognized for this approach and implementation and be supported
in their efforts to develop data analysis over time to guide instruction.
Step 3: Reformat test data to enable the public to better understand
test results and what constitutes meaningful comparisons.
We urge substantive public education about test data. An example of
this might be a regional BOCES' sponsored meeting to release the data,
with presentation by district administrators, and the opportunity
for public comments and questions.
Step 4: Decrease the amount of time teachers are required to
be out of the classroom to score each subject test.
The scoring of exams necessitates that teachers be out of the classroom
for excessive amounts of time. The loss of classroom instructional
time due to the absence of students' primary teachers is detrimental
to the performance of students and disruptive to curricular continuity,
thus undermining the primary goals of the New York State standards
and assessments.
Step 5: Provide full funding for all mandates related to the
state assessment program including academic intervention services.
The state testing program, from the outset, placed substantial financial
burdens on school districts, such as, mandated remediation, teacher
training to score examinations, and freeing up release time for teachers
to correct the tests..
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We appreciate your consideration of these proposals, and your efforts
to recognize both the multiplicity of needs and the most effective
application of resources throughout New York State school districts.
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