Niagara ReporterMembers of High Achievement New York [HANY] wrote to the State Board of Regents supporting the decision not to pursue a costly Innovative Assessment Pilot under ESSA, and urged the State Education Department to move instead to replace paper and pencil tests with computer adaptive testing by Spring 2021.
In a letter to Commissioner Elia, the coalition said:
“Computer adaptive assessments can both meet students where they are in their proficiency level, and should take approximately 50% less time to achieve comparable results than the current paper and pencil tests…. Our coalition would like to see the State move toward fully computer adaptive testing with its transition to updated assessments aligned to the revised Next Generation Learning Standards, scheduled for the Spring 2021 testing season.”
Coalition members signing on to the letter include:
- The Coalition of High Achievement New York
- Bethlehem Parents for Excellence
- Buffalo Urban League
- Business Council of New York State
- CAO- Better Schools, Better Neighborhoods- Buffalo
- District Parent Coordinating Council- Buffalo
- Educators for Excellence- NY
- Jeff Smink, Parent, Brighton
- Kim Namkoong, Parent, Bethlehem
- StudentsFirstNY
ABOUT HIGH ACHIEVEMENT NEW YORK
High Achievement New York provides New York parents, teachers, business and community leaders with an organized platform to support college and career ready standards and promote more equitable outcomes for all New York State children. To ensure educational fairness statewide, HANY provides community and educator driven solutions to issues that arise as higher standards and aligned assessments are implemented into local schools.
Coalition members include: Albany Colonie Chamber of Commerce, America Achieves, America Achieves New York Educator Voice Fellowship, American Association of University Women – New York, Association for a Better New York, Bethlehem Parents for Excellence, Buffalo ReformEd, Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Buffalo Urban League, Business Council of New York State, Business Council of Westchester, Center for American Progress, Committee for Hispanic Families and Children, Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce, Council For a Strong America, District Parent Coordinating Council of Buffalo, The Education Trust – New York, Educators 4 Excellence, Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, The Hispanic Federation, Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier, National Council of La Raza, New York Campaign for Achievement Now, New York Urban League, Otsego County Chamber of Commerce, Partnership for Inner-City Education, Parent Power Project-Rochester, Printing Industries Alliance, StudentsFirstNY, Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, Urban League of Rochester, and Urban League of Westchester.
