“The law exists so that there could be ramifications,” Elia said.
Today she repeated that threat:
State officials have indicated that the education department may have the power to withhold federal Title I funding for some schools with very high opt-out rates, although no concrete policy announcements have been made.
Elia suggested that withholding funding was still on the table in her remarks to reporters on Wednesday.
How's that for some consensus-building from the new NYSED Commissioner, the one who "listens"?
UPDATED - 3:40 PM: More on the sanctions Elia plans for high opt out rates:
ALBANY— Individual schools could lose funding if large numbers of students opt out of state standardized tests in April, state education commissioner MaryEllen Elia said on Wednesday.
Of the 1.1 million students eligible to take state exams in math and English language arts exams this year, nearly 20 percent, or 200,000 students, opted out.
The state Education Department is in conversations with the U.S. Department of Education working on a plan regarding possible sanctions for districts with high opt-out rates, Elia said.
In the conference call with reporters, Elia said the sanctions weren’t clearly defined and could simply consist of a phone call to superintendents asking what happened and what they plan to do differently next year. But it's also possible that federal Title I funds will be withheld, she said.
A phone call to superintendents asking what happened and what they plan to do differently next year?
Big Whooop!!! Let them punish the schools individually. No more glue sticks bitches!!!!!
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