Professors against K-2 testing in New York City

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    Chancellor Joel Klein
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    New York City and State University & College Faculty
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Dear Chancellor Klein,

As representatives of a wide array of New York City and State Colleges and Universities, we denounce the use of high stakes testing as a primary means of assessing childrens progress and the institutionalization of testing for children in grades K-2. Our outcry against these practices is in defense of the youngest and most vulnerable of our citizens.

The No Child Left Behind act states that all curriculum and practices must be research-based. If the Board of Education had done some research of its own, it would have found out that high stakes tests have less validity than any other standardized test, and that tests given to children under 8 are even less dependable. The designers of these tests clearly state that they are not meant for individual assessment, only to give a range of ability for a large group of children. These unreliable measures, used out of context, punish schools and children. Cloaked in the language of equity in order to give a fair chance for all kids to get into talented and gifted programs, the plan to test all kindergarten through second graders is really a method of tracking and attaining more data for the progress report formula. Training classroom teachers for only two hours in order to give these tests (administered typically by psychologists) will create more false data. The time and money wasted in this initiative-time and money that could be used for better instruction and supplies for children-is abhorrent.

The two tests that have been selected for children aged 4-7 are in effect intelligence tests that measure environmental factors, not true potential. This means the tests are biased towards well-educated and affluent families. Research has shown that these tests are also culturally biased. Because of this, most low-income families will be blocked from this program, and the poor children that are accepted will become tokens, held up to show the success of the system while hiding a larger problem of inequity. We have many examples of how this has happened throughout the history of American education.

We are most concerned about the effect that these tests will have on the education of children. New research found in the American Educational Research Association Journal and from Rice University in Texas have shown that using high stakes tests to sort and assess the success of schools have had severe consequences for students. Teachers working in schools where test scores are low and do not improve after hard work become hopeless and blame the children. Administrators under pressure to improve their school rating move low-achieving students out or keep them in the same grade so the school will not be penalized, which inevitably leads to a high drop out rate. This research has direct connections to what is happening in New York City. If you continue on your path of hyper assessment, research shows that poor and minority children will suffer the most.

In our opinion, it makes much more sense to invest money in attracting, training, and mentoring high quality teachers who can make a much more accurate determination of a childs capabilities. It makes more sense to bring the high-quality education that occurs in talented and gifted schools to all of the children in New York City, so every child has a chance to be educated to their highest potential.

You are taking responsibility for one of the largest and most diverse cities in our nation by being school chancellor. It would behoove you to do some research on the subject, and consult with academics, teachers, and parents, before continuing to move forward. We urge you to think deeply about the consequences of your reforms, and halt the mandatory testing of children from kindergarten to second grade immediately.

271 Signatures

  • Kathleen Ruen, Ph.D.
    • Position
    • Faculty
    • Department
    • Art of Teaching Program
    • College or University where employed
    • Sarah Lawrence College
  • Sara Wilford
    • Position
    • Dir., Art of Teaching Graduate Program
    • Department
    • Graduate Studies/Psychology
    • College or University where employed
    • Sarah Lawrence College
  • Mary Hebron
    • Position
    • Associate Director
    • Department
    • Art of Teaching Graduate Program
    • College or University where employed
    • Sarah Lawrence College
  • Rachel Theilheimer
    • Position
    • professor
    • Department
    • Teacher Education
    • College or University where employed
    • Borough of Manhattan Community College
  • Barbara Schwartz
    • College or University where employed
    • NYU Steinhardt School of Education
  • Kathleen Valentine
    • Position
    • Associate Professor
    • Department
    • Curriculum & Instruction
    • College or University where employed
    • SUNY Potsdam
  • Laurie DuBos
    • Department
    • Graduate School
    • College or University where employed
    • College of New Rochelle
  • Rebecca Reid
    • Position
    • Professor
    • Department
    • Early Childhood
    • College or University where employed
    • SUNY Cobleskill
  • Dr. Loren Weybright
    • Position
    • Assistant Professor
    • Department
    • M.S. Program in Education
    • College or University where employed
    • Metropolitan College of New York
  • Anne H. O'Neill, Ed.D.
    • Position
    • Adj Prof. Early Childhood Education
    • Department
    • Graduation Education Department
    • College or University where employed
    • Fordham University, Lincoln Center Campus
  • Lisa Novemsky
    • Position
    • assistant professor
    • Department
    • Education
    • College or University where employed
    • Brooklyn College
  • gwendolyn wellington
    • Position
    • adjunct
    • Department
    • teacher education
    • College or University where employed
    • BMCC
  • Nancy B Phillips
    • Position
    • adjunct
    • Department
    • Teacher Education
    • College or University where employed
    • BMCC
  • Marjorie Goldsmith, Ed.D.
    • Position
    • adjunct assistant professor
    • Department
    • early childhood education
    • College or University where employed
    • CCNY
  • Judith Lesch
    • Position
    • Graduate faculty
    • Department
    • Special education
    • College or University where employed
    • Bank Street College of Education
  • Chaya Gorsetman, Ed.D
    • Position
    • Early Childhood Supervisor, Assistant Professon
    • Department
    • Education
    • College or University where employed
    • Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University
  • Cheryl French
    • College or University where employed
    • Sarah Lawrence College
  • Elaine T. Bartkowiak, Ph.D.
    • Position
    • Associate Director, Early Childhood Research Center
    • Department
    • Learning and Instruction, Graduate School of Education
    • College or University where employed
    • University at Buffalo
  • Lorayne Carbon
    • Position
    • Director, Early Childhood Center at Sarah Lawrence College
    • Department
    • Psychology
    • College or University where employed
    • Sarah Lawrence College
  • Barbara Stern
    • Position
    • Graduate School faculty
    • Department
    • General Teacher Education
    • College or University where employed
    • Bank Street College of Education
  • Carol A. Diemer
    • Position
    • Adjunct Instructor
    • Department
    • Education
    • College or University where employed
    • SUNY Orange
  • Barbara Schecter
    • Position
    • director graduate program in child development
    • Department
    • Psychology
    • College or University where employed
    • Sarah Lawrence College
  • Christina Matone
    • Position
    • Adjunct Assistant Professor
    • Department
    • Classics Department
    • College or University where employed
    • Columbia University
  • Nancy Gropper
    • Position
    • Graduate Faculty
    • Department
    • General Teacher Education
    • College or University where employed
    • Bank Street College
  • Claudia Orenstein
    • Position
    • Associate Professor
    • Department
    • Theatre
    • College or University where employed
    • Hunter College, CUNY
  • Mira Berkley
    • Position
    • Associate Professor
    • Department
    • Curriculum and Instruction
    • College or University where employed
    • SUNY Fredonia
  • Cindy Bird
    • Position
    • Assistant Professor--Coordinator of Literacy Programs
    • College or University where employed
    • SUNY Fredonia
  • Susan Straut Collard
    • Position
    • Director of Dillon Child Study Center/Full Professor
    • Department
    • Child Study
    • College or University where employed
    • St. Joseph's College
  • Elaine Avidon
    • Position
    • Faculty, retired
    • Department
    • Early Childhood & Childhood Education
    • College or University where employed
    • Lehman College, CUNY
  • donal mulcahy
    • Position
    • В
    • Department
    • Teacher Education
    • College or University where employed
    • Borough of Manhattan Community College
  • Laurie R. Lehman
    • Position
    • Associate Professor
    • Department
    • Teaching and Learning
    • College or University where employed
    • Long Island University
  • Andrea Zakin
    • Position
    • Assistant Professor
    • Department
    • Early Childhood and Childhood Education
    • College or University where employed
    • Lehman College
  • Kathleen Kesson
    • Position
    • Professor
    • Department
    • Teaching and Learning
    • College or University where employed
    • Long Island University
  • Carol M Gross
    • Position
    • Assistant Professor
    • Department
    • Early Childhood Education
    • College or University where employed
    • Lehman College CUNY
  • Steve Shreefter
    • Position
    • Adjunct
    • Department
    • School Of Education/Teaching & Learning
    • College or University where employed
    • Long Island University - Brooklyn Campus
  • Mary Ann Cashin
    • Position
    • Assistant Professor
    • Department
    • Child Study
    • College or University where employed
    • St. Joseph's College
  • Joan Curtis
    • Position
    • Assistant Professor
    • Department
    • Child Study
    • College or University where employed
    • St. Joseph's College
  • Clara Beier
    • Position
    • Associate Professor
    • Department
    • Language, Learning, and Leadership
    • College or University where employed
    • SUNY Fredonia
  • Lidia Gonzalez
    • Position
    • Adjunct Lecturer
    • Department
    • Mathematics
    • College or University where employed
    • Brooklyn College
  • Eleace King
    • Position
    • Assistant Professor
    • Department
    • Child Study
    • College or University where employed
    • St. Joseph's College
  • Zoila Tazi
    • Position
    • Doctoral Student
    • Department
    • Urban Education
    • College or University where employed
    • CUNY Graduate Center
  • Kiersten Greene
    • Position
    • student
    • Department
    • Urban Education
    • College or University where employed
    • CUNY Graduate Center
  • Mayida Zaal
    • Position
    • Professor of Education
    • College or University where employed
    • Montclair State University
  • Esther Berkowitz
    • Department
    • Child Study
    • College or University where employed
    • St. Joseph's College
  • Joan E. silver, Ed.D.
    • Position
    • Associate Professor
    • Department
    • Child Study
    • College or University where employed
    • St. Joseph's College
  • Kenneth Gold
    • Position
    • Associate Professor
    • Department
    • Education
    • College or University where employed
    • CUNY/College of Staten Island
  • Jill Levin
    • Position
    • Associate Professor
    • Department
    • Child Study
    • College or University where employed
    • St. Joseph's College
  • Haroon Kharem
    • Position
    • Associate Professor
    • Department
    • School of Education
    • College or University where employed
    • Brooklyn College
  • Helen Kearney, PhD
    • Position
    • Associate Professor
    • Department
    • Child Study
    • College or University where employed
    • St. Joseph's College
  • Miriam Blake
    • Position
    • Instructor
    • Department
    • Child Study Department
    • College or University where employed
    • St. Joseph's College