State asks school districts to trim local tests
Justin Murphy
The New York state Education Department is urging districts to eliminate as much local testing as possible for the purposes of teacher evaluations, and is committing federal money to help make it happen. But some educators are opposing the increased reliance on state exams.
The initiative by NYSED comes with $9.2 million in federal Race To The Top money, including $800,000 going to schools in the Rochester area. It comes in response to widespread protests about excessive testing in public schools, especially for the youngest children.
There is no prospect of eliminating Common Core-aligned tests or other evaluations mandated by the state or federal government, and it is those that have drawn the most complaints. Rather, the state sent a report to every district in the state this summer, identifying locally-designed tests used for teacher assessment purposes and presenting alternate ways for districts to assess teachers without testing children more.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2014/08/24/state-asks-school-districts-trim-local-tests/14547077/