A New York State Ed Way of Life

You have to wonder who exactly is running the NYS Education Department & what they are thinking or if they are thinking at all? 

Recently they have enacted, with the help of the State's own "Boss Tweed"  aka Gov. Cuomo  the state's new APPRs to evaluate the state's teachers.  Sounds good on paper but the problem is it will involve so much paper that you wonder how teachers and administrators will have the time to do what is necessary to teach.  Teachers used to have the freedom, within guidelines called the state curriculum, to explore and give kids creative oportunities to learn and expand ther minds.  Afterall, the human brain is a wonderful gift given the opportunity to be used to it's full potential.  However the restraints imposed by the state and it's emphasis on testing and test preparation and on evaluating teachers will severely hamper any attempts by the teachers of the state to allow students to really "Use Their Heads".  We will be pigeon holing them instead of allowing maximum growth and allowing students to follow the paths which best fit their needs and interests by making them all follow the same paths.

Speaking of testing, recent information regarding this year's 4th grade State Mandated Math Test, shows that their are two questions on the test with "questions."  One apparently has NO correct response among its 4 choices while another has two possible correct answers among the 4 choices.  Add to that, the student's aren't to be informed of this unless they ask specifiacally about either question. 

Imagine that!  How can a state education department, which is putting all this pressure on schools, teachers, administrators, and students to perform with perfection dare to present an assessment with faults????   Don't they check it over and over and over and over before putting it to print?  If I create a question, it must have an answer and shouldn't I include such answer in the multiple choice responses?  And why would I include two correct responses to a multiple choice question?  How can we expect an honest, professional, and #4 type of effort from my schools, teachers, administrators, and students when I don't deliver one myself?  Or is a 2 or 3 good enough?  What message is our State Education Department really sending here?  A.) We must be perfect; B.) We must settle;
C.) Mediocrety is OK or D.) Only perfection is acceptable.    Is there a Right answer or are there No correct responses?   Guess in the state's eyes it really doesn't matter.   JUST PRINT IT