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'...It's time to hit the 'pause button' on high stakes while, at the same time, increasing support for students, parents and educators...' New York State United Teachers vote 'No Confidence' in NY State Schools Commissioner and Common Core

George N. Schmidt - January 26, 2014

In a major move, the directors of the largest state teachers union in the USA has voted "no confidence" in the State Education Commissioner and demanded that New York stop the implementation of the Common Core. "Common Core standards as implemented and interpreted in New York state [must be halted] until SED makes major course corrections to its failed implementation plan and supports a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences from standardized testing," a NYSUT press release distributed on January 25, 2014 stated.

Despite his paucity of experience as a public schools teacher or administrator (he ran a charter school that did a great deal of public relations), John King was appointed New York State Commissioner of Public Education. By 2013, he was facing increasing criticism for his policies and for his arrogant treatment of parents, teachers, school administrators and the average citizen. With the "no confidence" vote from the huge New York State United Teachers, the largest union in the Empire State, King begins 2014 on his last leg. However, an analysis will have to be made as to how he got the job in the first place in the context of the Obama administration's Race to The Top and Common Core policies, and the lurid adherence of many corporate media types to the Harvard mystique and blather that was on of King's main selling points.The abrupt release of the statement from one of the largest unions in the United States continues the no confidence positions that have been taken by numerous education leaders in New York. Following King's arrogant dismissal of parents and teacher concerns about Common Core, the demands for his removal escalated throughout 2013.

NYSUT PRESS RELEASE JANUARY 25, 2014:

January 25, 2014. NYSUT Board approves 'no confidence' resolution. Source: NYSUT Media Relations

ALBANY, N.Y. Jan. 25, 2014 - New York State United Teachers' Board of Directors approved a resolution Saturday that declared "no confidence" in the policies of State Education Commissioner John King Jr., therefore calling for his removal by the Board of Regents. NYSUT's board also withdrew its support for the Common Core standards as implemented and interpreted in New York state until SED makes major course corrections to its failed implementation plan and supports a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences from standardized testing.

The union's board acted unanimously Saturday morning at a meeting in Albany.

"Educators understand that introducing new standards, appropriate curriculum and meaningful assessments are ongoing aspects of a robust educational system. These are complex tasks made even more complex when attempted during a time of devastating budget cuts. SED's implementation plan in New York state has failed. The commissioner has pursued policies that repeatedly ignore the voices of parents and educators who have identified problems and called on him to move more thoughtfully," said NYSUT President Richard C. Iannuzzi. "Instead of listening to and trusting parents and teachers to know and do what's right for students, the commissioner has offered meaningless rhetoric and token change. Instead of making the major course corrections that are clearly needed, including backing a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences for students and teachers from state testing, he has labeled everyone and every meaningful recommendation as distractions."

The resolution states that the board declares "no confidence in the policies of the Commissioner of Education and calls for the New York State Commissioner of Education's removal by the New York State Board of Regents."

NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira said the union has been sounding warning bells since 2011 about the over-emphasis on standardized testing and the state's rushed and unrealistic timeline for introducing curriculum and assessments tied to the Common Core state standards. She said NYSUT is seeking:

-- completion of all modules, or lessons, aligned with the Common Core and time for educators to review them to ensure they are grade-level appropriate and aligned with classroom practice;

-- better engagement with parents, including listening to their concerns about their children's needs;

-- additional tools, professional development and resources for teachers to address the needs of diverse learners, including students with disabilities and English language learners;

-- full transparency in state testing, including the release of all test questions, so teachers can use them in improving instruction;

-- postponement of Common Core Regents exams as a graduation requirement;

-- the funding necessary to ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve the Common Core standards. The proposed Executive Budget would leave nearly 70 percent of the state's school districts with less state aid in 2014-15 than they had in 2009-10; and

-- a moratorium, or delay, in the high-stakes consequences for students and teachers from standardized testing to give the State Education Department - and school districts - more time to correctly implement the Common Core.

"The clock is ticking and time is running out," Neira said. Students sit for a new battery of state assessments in just a few months. It's time to hit the 'pause button' on high stakes while, at the same time, increasing support for students, parents and educators. A moratorium on high-stakes consequences would give SED and school districts time to make the necessary adjustments."

The resolution will go to the more than 2,000 delegates to the 600,000-member union's Representative Assembly, to be held April 4-6 in New York City. The resolution underscores NYSUT's longstanding, strong opposition to corporate influence and privatization in public education and calls for an end to New York's participation in InBloom, a "cloud-based" system that would collect and store sensitive data on New York's schoolchildren.

New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members. Members are pre-K-12 teachers; school-related professionals; higher education faculty; other professionals in education, human services and health care; and retirees. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.

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