A somber Superintendent Bolgen Vargas said at a press conference this afternoon that the just-released results of new state tests, in which Rochester students scored the lowest of all the Big Five school districts, were predictable. The district has for years provided the least amount of instruction to students who need more time on task, he
said.
The New York State Education Department released the results of tests for grades 3-8 earlier today. Only 5.4 percent of Rochester students met the English proficiency standard and just 5 percent met the math standard.
The tests were designed to measure the new, more rigorous curriculum referred to as the Common Core, which is being implemented across the state and in many states across the country.
Vargas said the district is responding aggressively to the state’s announcement. For starters, in September, 20 schools will provide students with longer school days.
“We have a new master schedule that will include 90-minute modules for math and English,” Vargas said. The usual class time is about 40 minutes.
Vargas also took the opportunity to say that the news should convince parents, teachers, and community leaders that educating the city’s students is a citywide task that requires everyone’s help to solve. Increased attention to basics like reading and attendance are critical, he said. And the entire city needs to adopt a pro-reading, pro-education culture, he said, because the standards that New York’s students will have to meet in the future have been dramatically raised.Though no school board members were present for the press conference, Rochester Teachers Association President Adam Urbanski said that he and the union fully support Vargas’s efforts. And labor negotiations are under way to provide students with longer school days and more arts, music, and sports programs.
“The news is grim and we have to do better,” Urbanski said.
Urbanski was asked about a statement released today by mayoral candidate and City Council President Lovely Warren in response to the state news. Warren essentially challenged Mayor Tom Richards, her opponent, to refuse to accept the RTA’s endorsement of his re-election bid, and to return any RTA campaign donations.
“I have nothing but respect for teachers — but let’s be clear that the teachers union is fighting my plan because charter school teachers are not part of that union.That does not make me anti-union, anti-teacher, or anti-worker. It makes me anti-failure and pro-children,” Warren’s statement said.
Urbanski said that the RTA is not giving money to Richards, and that Warren is scapegoating the union.
He went on to say, “I will challenge her to a public debate on the role of the union in educating children.” Warren declined the offer.
This article appears in Aug 7-13, 2013.
The problem isn’t teaching and learning the problem is the continual obsession with testing.
Taking a test is not the same thing as being educated. Maybe if we stop focusing on memorizing information for tests and rather focus on learning how to learn so that it becomes a lifelong pursuit, and is about enhancing who you are instead of what you can get we might still have a chance.
Despite complaints by the teacher’s unions and others about Common Core and low test scores, I have no doubt the results will be used by the city and local school districts to demand more money from taxpayers to improve the test scores .
” no school board members were present for the press conference”
This speaks volumes about the board’s detachment and lack of committment. As they say in baseball, throw the bums out !
WARNING TO ALL PARENTS: Common Core is an untested curriculum being driven by the Obama Education department into all states – the reason students did not do well and why teachers are rebelling is simple, this new standard has been poorly developed, it does focus way too much time on testing and data gathering. One of the basics to this training strategies is to overly frustrate students with material they cannot figure out on their own. Kindergarteners are being ask to develop on their own educational concepts they are not ready (mature enough) to handle. The state/federal government is mandating both the curriculum and classroom techniques under threat of firing teachers if they object or attempt to inform parents what is being required. The Core Curriculum is just another way this administration is trying to overwhelm all of us and take control of (in this case) what our children are learning …….. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND WHAT “COMMON CORE” IS AND HOW IT IS AFFECTING YOUR CHILDREN. YOU CAN SIGN A PETITION TO STOP THIS INSANITY AT http://www.fixnyschools.com