NYSED: Tests And Evaluations First, Curriculum Later

In all the jive ass news editorials shilling the Common Core and calling opponents and critics of reform neo-Luddites and the like, you never hear this truth:

ALBANY—Teachers across the state are waiting on the state education department to develop the rest of a $28.3 million curriculum that they've already begun teaching.

State officials are just a step ahead in developing lesson plans that students need to pass the rigorous Common Core exams. When the state began testing elementary and middle-school students based on the standards last April, schools did not have all of the state-designed “modules,” which are units of material for teachers to cover.

And they still don't, causing some school leaders to lament that they're heading into a second year of testing students on materials that haven't gotten into classrooms yet.

NYSED Commissioner King says the SED modules are "optional and supplementary" but not required.

But Carol Burris notes:

“It's like the speed limit is just a suggestion,” said Carol Burris, a high school principal in Long Island and national education-policy expert who has been critical of the state's reform agenda. “When you spend $28 million on something, you're intending for that to be used, unless you think it's fine to just burn taxpayer money.”

The hacks at SED also say districts can buy other curriculum options if they don't like having to wait for the free state stuff that is taking forever to be developed.

But Jessica Bakeman writes:

the reality is many districts aren't buying other curriculum or textbooks that purport to be aligned with the Common Core, partly because there's no guarantee the other options will prepare students for the state tests. Also, there hasn't been enough time for proper vetting, experts said.

In short, the arrogant people at SED and the Regents rolled out the half-based Common Core standards, the half-baked Common Core tests and the half-baked teacher evaluations tied to those tests before they finished baking the first couple of Common Core modules for teachers to teach to students.

But they refuse to acknowledge any mistakes, they refuse to allow any slowdowns in Common Core implementation and they are adamant that reform is going "full speed ahead" here in NY State.

This will all end very, very well.

I mean, how can it not?