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Climate control: School Supe on Common Core standards

Shelter Island School Superintendent Michael Hynes

It seems the debate about High Stakes Testing and the Common Core Standards are at an all-time high. The crescendo of negativity that is surrounding our New York State Department of Education has made its way out to the eastern end of Long Island and I for one am delighted. Public education is at a crossroads. I am extremely passionate about our public education system but for it to thrive, some things need to change.

Let me begin by focusing on testing.  Testing is an important component in a child’s education. I believe that standardized testing has a vital role in the learning process for our students. What testing should not do is dominate the culture of education. Pick up any newspaper or turn on the news and that’s what you read or hear about. Proper testing of students should support learning, not obstruct it. People in New York are starting to understand that now. Our public schools are being high jacked by the over administration of standardized tests. Believe me, our teachers administer formative and summative assessments daily and/or weekly with our students. I trust and support the way our teachers use this data to drive their instruction. In fact, I believe it is one of our school’s strengths.

The Common Core Standards are not what people think. Here is what I know to be true. It is important to note that the Common Core Standards were developed rather hastily. As I paraphrase educator Anthony Cody; prior to the new Common Core Standards, the process of developing standards was a public one. This process is usually led by committees of educators and content area experts. They would share multiple drafts, review and pilot the new standards on students and make adjustments when necessary. What many people don’t realize is that the process of adopting the new Common Core Standards and developing the new Common Core Assessments happened much differently. The development and implementation of the new standards and tests in New York happened in record time, with little to no input from educators. As a parent of children who attend public schools and as an educator in one, I find that very interesting.

The real question surrounding all of this drama should be, “Is this best for kids?” I believe that raising standards, crafting a well- balanced curricula and supporting teachers is essential to ensuring our students learn what they need to succeed after they graduate from the Shelter Island School District. In my estimation, the New York State Education Department fell short in four key areas:

  1. The lack of foresight in rolling out and implementing the new Common Core Standards
  2. Meaningful teacher and principal input in developing the new standards and assessments
  3. Over reliance of student testing
  4. Not following the “Law of timing”: Co-mingling a new teacher and principal evaluation system with new sets of teaching standards and tests for students

Our school, as well as all public schools across New York State are now finding themselves answering to their communities about the abovementioned items. As this crescendo of anger and resentment continues to climb higher and higher, you should know what we are doing inside our school.

We are taking a balanced approach. We are teaching the Common Core curriculum which is aligned with the new standards. By doing this we are in compliance of the mandate imposed by NYSED. It is my responsibility to prepare all students to do well on any test, even the new Common Core assessments. Our teachers do not and will not “teach to the test.” There are learning activities and parallel tasks that are similar as to what students can expect to be tested on the new Common Core tests. At this time, we have an educational responsibility and moral obligation to ensure our students are prepared for these assessments, we just don’t have to perseverate over it. I won’t allow it.

I am not a fan of the Elementary Modules that NYSED has recommended our schools to use for teaching lessons. This may not be popular, but I feel we should not use the Elementary Modules which are aligned to the new standards. We will not use their modules at the elementary level. In my professional opinion they are developmentally inappropriate and take the joy out of learning. Recently I printed out the Kindergarten Modules for English. It is over 1,200 pages! Other school districts may feel they are worthwhile. That is their prerogative and I respect their decision.

So what else are we doing? We are allowing the many changes that took place this year to cultivate. As I stated before, our school is focusing on what we can control. What we can control is how we teach and the structure in which our teaching takes place. By allowing our teachers to meet every other day to collaborate in a meaningful way; it allows our educators to digest and plan what they feel is necessary for our students to succeed. Also, the communication and sharing of ideas within and among the different “Houses” that are within our school are showing signs of progress. This allows for professional feedback, which moves our school toward becoming a more “open system.” I have faith this will benefit our students both in the short and long term.

According to Sir Ken Robinson, schools can change to allow all students to be more successful. The question is, how do you define such success? It starts with the notion that there are three things that allow students to flourish in an educational setting. First, he believes we are all naturally different and diverse. The educational system under No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top and what NYSED is imposing on public schools is based on conformity. I feel the focus is targeted toward what students can do under a very small spectrum of achievement. This is not sufficient. A true education should give equal weight to the Arts, the Humanities and to Physical Education. I believe that students will prosper with a broad curriculum that celebrates their multiple talents, not just a small range of them. The Shelter Island School is striving to focus on broadening the curriculum it offers to our students but at the elementary and secondary levels.

Second, Mr. Robinson articulates that all children have a natural curiosity. All children are natural learners. Unfortunately, with NYSED’s mandates and their continued focus on testing, in New York we are witnessing and experiencing a child’s natural curiosity become extinguished prematurely. I believe as educators, we struggle to fan the flame of curiosity if educators are reduced to teaching to the test and possibly, teach developmentally inappropriate curriculum. This is why the Commissioner needs to hear what educators across our state have to say. Teachers know first-hand because they are in the classroom with our children.

Third, children are creative. I don’t mean in the sense all children have a latent Picasso or Mozart gene ready to emerge, but they do possess the ability to be creative. This is what makes all of us so diverse and dynamic. Part of education’s role is to awaken this creativity. As Mr. Robinson puts it, “Instead we have a culture of standardization.” I don’t know how one standardizes creativity.

I hope our community recognizes our school is a human system, and a complicated one indeed. As its leader, I need to facilitate and create conditions under which teachers and students thrive. Like any organization, we also have a culture.  A positive culture for our school is essential so real learning can take place within our classrooms. If the conditions are right, learning is inevitable. In spite of what is happening outside our school, I feel we have given our teachers a new set of possibilities, different sets of expectations and a broader range of opportunities. Our greatest strength is that we cherish the relationships between teachers and students. We allow the teachers to have discretion so they can be creative and innovate in the classroom. A school is no better than the sum of its teachers and I can honestly say we have the best!

Finally, I do not subscribe to the leadership style of “command and control”. I embrace Robinson’s view of “climate control.” We are creating a school climate of possibility by taking a balanced approach to the implementation of NYSED’s initiatives. Even though the perfect storm is swirling all across New York State and right outside our jewel of a school, I will not let this storm negatively impact us. There may come a time when I need to take a stronger stance against what is happening in relation to the new standards and High Stakes Testing. Please know I am communicating with other school leaders across Long Island every day. As each week passes, I become more vigilant to ensure our students are not undermined by excessive testing and are taught a developmentally appropriate but rigorous curriculum.