(June 2015) Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney (R,C-New Hartford) recently announced passage of her bill, A.7303-A, which would extend the adoption deadline for teacher evaluation regulations and remove the governor’s requirement that they be adopted before schools receive increases in aid. Additionally, the bill creates more transparency related to Common Core testing.
“It was very important for me to take a stand against the governor’s edicts on teacher evaluations, which set unrealistic goals and deadlines with the threat of punishing schools by withholding school aid. I am pleased this bill was passed, as it allows more time and flexibility to create an evaluation system that will work better for our kids,” said Tenney. “It was also critical to me that we enact mechanisms to create more transparency in Common Core testing and curriculum. During the remaining weeks of the legislative session we must continue to pass bills that positively impact the education of New York’s children.”
Tenney’s bill extends the deadline for the Board of Regents to adopt new teacher evaluation regulations from June 30 to Nov. 17. Additionally, it gives an extra year for schools to adopt their own policies regarding teacher evaluation. The new deadline is November 15, 2016. It also strikes the tie of school aid to adoption of these regulations, which the governor required in the budget.
Other stipulations would require the annual release of Common Core tests and answers in English Language Arts and math. The bill also enacts a portion of the Achieving Pupil Preparedness and Launching Excellence (APPLE) Plan, which Tenney supports, that requires a review of Common Core testing and curriculum to ensure the material is age and developmentally appropriate. The bill also takes into consideration the different abilities and learning styles of students, who may not display standard measures of progress.
“No child, teacher or school is the same. We must refocus our efforts to empowering our teaching professionals, not Albany bureaucrats, by allowing them to employ their genius in developing critical thinking skills in our children at all levels and inspiring in them a lifelong love of learning,” said Tenney.