"The changes adopted today are a necessary step toward fixing a broken system that over-weights standardized testing, diminishes teaching and learning, and uses 'junk science' to sort and rank teachers.
"More changes are still needed - as many Regents and state legislators recognize. It is also clear that new State Education Commissioner Elia is listening to parents and educators and proposing commonsense - albeit stopgap - fixes.
"NYSUT will be forging forward - with parents, educators, the Regents and lawmakers - to develop an evaluation system that is fair and meaningful, and which stresses teaching and learning and not testing."
Elia's listening?
In what world?
She says opting out is unreasonable.
She says teachers who support or encourage opting out are unethical.
She's a huge fan of the Endless Testing regime and says parents will join her in her fandom just as soon as districts use her tool kit to explain to them how swell testing is and how bad opting out is.
She's also a huge fan of Common Core and wants to "repaint" it for parents so they can see how swell that is too.
If this is MaryEllen Elia listening to parents and teachers, I'd hate to see what not listening looks like.
