Scarsdale Seventh Graders to Boycott State Mandated Test
- Details
- Hits: 6925
Scarsdale parents can now do more than just complain about the increasing number of state-mandated tests imposed on the district’s school children. This week parents of seventh graders at Scarsdale Middle School have been given a chance to opt their children out of an upcoming state exam and register their discontent with new state requirements for local schools.
Many are up in arms about this particular math test which is a “field test” to allow educational publisher Pearson to test questions for upcoming exams. The results of the exam will not be released, so the sole purpose of the test is to formulate questions for future exams.
In order to boycott the test, parents need to respond to an email they received from the Scarsdale Middle School PTA by June 1. The school will make alternative arrangements for students who choose not to take the test.
The Boycott the Field Test campaign is part of a larger effort by parent organizations across New York State. Two advocacy groups, named Time Out From Testing and Parent Voices NY have organized letter-writing actions within schools across the state to let principals know that parents refuse to permit their children to take the test.
And a large group of principals agree as well. New York Principals, a group that was formed on Long Island, and has expanded state-wide, is pushing back on the Chancellor Merryl Tisch and the Board of Regents to ease up on testing and teacher evaluations based on test results. They recently issued the results of a survey of 8,000 parents on their sentiments about the testing of third through eighth graders which found that testing “prevents children from engaging in meaningful school activities,” and imposes “high levels of stress.”
Excerpts from the survey of parents shows that:
- 87% said time devoted to standardized tests is not a good use of school time.
- 75% reported their child was more anxious in the month preceding the test.
- 70% said increased emphasis on testing has had a negative impact on their children’s schools.
In addition, almost 1,500 principals in the state, or about a third of all NYS principals, has signed a position paper objecting to the newly imposed Annual Professional Performance Reviews (APPR) for teachers and administrators that will force local districts to rate personnel on a scale of 1 to 100, a number that will be partially derived from how their students perform on standardized tests. The paper was also signed by 5,200 administrators, teachers and parents.
The paper contends that the APPR based on standardized test results will have many negative consequences.
- Principals fear that rating teachers based on test results will “narrow the curriculum” and cause teachers to ”focus more on test preparation and skill and drill teaching.”
- “Struggling students” would be placed in lower-level classes without standardized assessments, and will hesitate to place students in more challenging classes for fear of poor test results.
- The tests will change the dynamics between teachers and students.
- Rather than collaborate, teachers will compete.
If you wish to add your name to the list of the supporters of the NYS Testing Paper, click here:
Scarsdale parents we spoke to had mixed reactions to the email. While some agreed with the boycott and the petition, another mom said, “I was told the test is only 40 minutes so I am not so concerned. If kids opt out of it, yet half are still taking it, they likely won’t be doing anything productive. Also, the more comfortable kids get taking tests the better off they will be when it really counts. The whole testing thing is still a mystery to me as Scarsdale parents don’t want teachers teaching to the test, yet they all go and have them tutored so they can do well on the tests!”
What do you think? Please post your comments below:
Teacher Retirements and Tenure Announcement
- Details
- Written by: Adrienne Fishman
- Hits: 10131
The May 21 Scarsdale School Board meeting was bittersweet as the community bid farewell to retiring teachers and granted tenure to others. The departing faculty members have taught here for decades and have all played integral roles in shaping the Scarsdale school system. They began their careers when the Scarsdale Middle School was known as the Junior High and was half the size it is now, with three rather than four houses. The retirees were lauded by Assistant Superintendent Joan Weber, Middle School Principal Michael McDermott and Middle School PTA President Judy Stanley.
Two of the retiring teachers are Marie Tallevi and her husband, Leonard Tallevi. Marie began teaching in Scarsdale in 1973. She has taught at three out of five of the elementary schools and was remembered for her “strong relationships with students, her warm enthusiasm and her dedication.” She and her husband, Leonard, or Mr. Tallevi to those who had him in middle school, were classmates in college before they became colleagues in Scarsdale. Len will be retiring, ending his 41-year career in service to students, parents and teachers of Scarsdale. He teaches social studies at Scarsdale Middle School and has been the chair of the middle school social studies department for 38 years. He thanks Scarsdale for “taking a chance on a 21-year-old novice,” a decision that the town will never regret. Not only was he active as a teacher, but an acute observer of psychological types. Although his “type” is quiet and introverted, students will always remember the first day of Mr. Tallevi’s class when he exhibited quite the opposite behavior. Each year, on the opening day of school, Tallevi told the students to close their eyes and think of the summer. As they moved into a reverie, he would pull out his famous gavel, slam it down, and startle the class by saying, “forget about it, it’s time to work.” The Tallevis will be sorely missed in the Scarsdale school system.
Harvey Flisser joined the Scarsdale school system in 1987. He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science and went on to work for the NYC Board of Education as well as the Air and Space Museum. Many will remember the volcanic eruptions in his class as well as the time he spent supervising after school activities. Joan Weber describes Flisser as “warm, compassionate and professional.” Retirement will allow Mr. Flisser to pursue his interest in photography and commit more time to his grandchildren.
Mary Beth Greco will also retire from the Scarsdale Middle School. She came here in 1978 as an experienced teacher. She began teaching 6th grade math in Fountain House. Greco considers “teaching to be one of the most rewarding professions” and she “feels blessed to teach Scarsdale students.” Greco will be remembered for “Pi Day” celebrated in her classrooms each year on March 14, when she brought in pies for the students to eat. Another interesting fact about Ms. Greco is that she raises homing pigeons. Which she used in math lessons and released at the middle school on the International Day of Peace. Ms. Greco was an excellent asset to the math program.
Discussing the evolution of Ken Holvig’s years in Scarsdale, Joan Weber said, “trying to capture his career in Scarsdale is like trying to capture a cloud.” Ken Holvig was originally an English teacher in Clarkstown before becoming a computer teacher for SMS where he as worked for two decades. During this time he has seen the world move from floppy disks and dot matrix printers, to wireless, Bluetooth and iPads. Holvig is a man of many talents who was named an Apple Distinguished Educator, taught courses at STI, coached golf, and even wrote a regular golf column for the Journal News … all while helping the district integrate new technologies into the classroom. Many wonder when Holvig found the time to sleep. He plans to move to Minnesota to work for Apple and be nearer to his children.
In other business at the meeting, incoming Scarsdale High School Principal Kenneth Bonamo was given a three-year provisionary appointment beginning July, 2012. Bonamo was selected from a pool of 75 talented applicants, 28 who were screened by the selection committee. A former Russian teacher, Bonamo comes to Scarsdale from Townsend High School in Queens, where he has served as principal for the last four years.
In addition, the following staff members were given three-year probationary appointments:
- Erica Curran, Science Teacher, Scarsdale High School
- Robert Daly, Social Studies, Scarsdale Middle School
- Michael Egan, Science Teacher, Scarsdale High School
And the following staff members were granted tenure by the district:
- Duncan Wilson – Principal, Fox Meadow Elementary School
- Leila El-Chehabi, Special Education
- Sidney Lipez – Elementary
- Caitlin Saladino – Elementary
- Kevin Blake – Physical Education
- Bethany Unterberger – Remedial Speech
- Maria Vasconez – Elementary/Spanish
- Jennifer Benash – Remedial Speech
- Cristal Edwards – Elementary
- Jessica Slotwinski – Music
- Jessica Williams – Science
- Vanessa Blood – Science
- Sheilah Chason – Mathematics
- Nicola Minchillo – Social Studies
- Nancy Thompson – Guidance Counselor
Just Numbers: Scarsdale Schools on Testing and Rankings
- Details
- Hits: 5689
Standardized tests are here to stay and Scarsdale teachers and administrators are not pleased. On Thursday May 10th, the Scarsdale Middle School PTA held a panel discussion to address how Scarsdale can maintain their curriculum and high teaching standards while implementing these state mandated tests.
The discussion was moderated by middle school principal Michael McDermott and included panelists Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Superintendent Michael McGill, and Trudy Moses, a Greenacres teacher and president of the Scarsdale Teacher’s Association. A representative from the New York Department of Education was invited but declined to attend.
Scarsdale administrators assert that the district maintains the highest teaching standards and that Scarsdale students are critical thinkers and problem-solvers who are excited and enthusiastic about learning. The panelists said that the teachers in Scarsdale are held in the highest regard and claimed that the district gets results.
The panelists drew on their perspectives as a lawmaker, administrator and teacher to argue that the state and national tests undermine the foundation of a Scarsdale education. Testing also incurs a financial cost to the school. Dr. McGill estimates that testing costs the district $800,000 per year and results in several lost school days when teachers give the tests and grade them.
Panelists discussed why state mandated tests are bad for Scarsdale as well as other districts. The tests are written to insure that students statewide master a uniform core curriculum. However, McGill contends that the tests don’t really help prepare students, but rather show them how to master these particular tests. Without representation on the state task force for education that creates the tests, Scarsdale is powerless to impact what should be taught or tested.
The state also wants to use the test results to ensure quality teaching and root out poor performing teachers. However, the Scarsdale administration believes that they already have a strong system in place to flag teachers who need help and guidance, or should be dismissed. Since Scarsdale teachers do not teach to these tests, results are not an indicator of teacher success in the classroom.
According to the district, there are currently two groups of state tests—the grade level assessments and the Regents content tests. All told there are 18 state tests not counting the Regents administered in any given year in the Scarsdale school system.
*The ELA (English Language Arts) one test per grade from grade three through grade 8.
*Math—one test from grade three through grade eight.
*Science- Written and Science Performance—Grade 4 and Grade 8
*English Limited Learners assessment
*Alternative Assessment for special education students
According to the Scarsdale Board of Education, Scarsdale students perform well on the exams, though they said that more details on results would take some time. Parents do get a letter home with the results of their children’s tests.
The Regents is administered in the high school in January and June in English, History, the Sciences and Math. The number of students taking these exams vary widely. For example, according to district information, over 400 students take the Biology Regents and 350 take the English Regents. Of the 425 who take the Regents exam in Math, 275 are eighth graders. No students take Regents in World Languages according to the latest data provided.
The panel’s chief concern was how these tests would affect teaching, teachers and students. They were concerned that testing could create toxic competition among teachers who would be ranked by their student’s performance. If the teacher’s ranking was depending on test scores, only want high performers in their classrooms
So what to do? There didn’t seem to be a happy conclusion among the panelists that evening. All had grim predictions about the future impact of state mandated tests. When one parent asked if a protest would help, Assemblywoman Paulin was dubious that protests would change the trajectory. Her sense was that unless there was a huge movement that made big waves it would be ignored by the state. While she said that there is some talk of civil disobedience on this matter on the North Shore of Long Island, the panel did not think much could be done to avoid the state tests. The panel concluded that the tests are here to stay but suggested that the community minimize their impact by downplaying the results.
Speaking to the district after the meeting about the evaluations, they said that the process is rather complex. When asked about how and when the teacher rankings are made public, what happens to the lowest ranked teachers and if there is an appeal process they said that they need more clarity from the state before these questions can be answered. In the coming weeks Scarsdale schools will have a briefing session for the press on this very topic. We will bring that information to you as soon as it becomes available.
Jen is a freelance journalist who has covered the economy and markets for over a decade at a major financial news outlet. She lives in Scarsdale with her husband and 2 children. Jen has yet to bake a successful batch of cookies.
Scarsdale and Edgemont Voters Approve 2012-13 School Budgets
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 5205
The Scarsdale 2012-13 school budget passed handily with little opposition from the community on Tuesday May 15. 725 votes were cast, 573 in favor and 152 opposed, for a total approval rate of 79%. Voter turnout was lower than last year when 877 votes were cast and the budget passed by 70%. The count was comparable to 2009 when 722 votes were cast and the budget was approved by 76%.
The approved 2012-13 school budget is $141,790,579 which is a 2.42% increase over last year. The tax levy will go up by 2.89% and complies with the state mandated 2% cap as certain items, including capital improvements, are exempt. For Scarsdale residents, the tax rate will go up 3.39% and for those in Mamaroneck the increase will be 2.22%. For more details, click here.
When budgeting began in the fall of 2011, the Board and Administration wrestled with the tax cap legislation and there was much debate about whether or not to override the 2% cap. If the Board had opted to exceed the cap, the new state law dictated that the budget would need to pass by a 60% vote. However, in the end savings from the 2011-12 budget, projected enrollment reductions for next year and the use of reserve funds allowed the Board to present a budget that fell below the cap. To pass, it only required a simple majority. But the vote today, with 79% in favor far exceeded the simple majority.
Unlike previous years the community was relatively quiet during the budget process. From the start, no programs were in peril, class sizes were slated to remain the same and there
After parents of high school students raised concerns about class sizes in some sections, the Board designated two additional teaching positions for the school, to be assigned once students select classes for next year.
There was some back and forth about the decision to apply $6.3 million from the undesignated fund balance to the 2012-13 budget as some believed that this move could reduce the Board’s flexibility in the future. Members of the Coalition for Scarsdale Schools feared that the use of these funds would make it more difficult to comply with the tax cap next year and could force the Board to make tough decisions down the road when these surplus funds were no longer available. However the Board decided to take a first step toward reducing reliance on fund balances to fund subsequent year's budgets.
Commenting on the vote, Superintendent of Schools Michael McGill said, “The Board proposed a responsible budget that allows the community to move forward. I am gratified that they supported it, as they always do.”
In Edgemont, the $50,149,261 2012-2013 school budget passed by 83% of the vote. A total of 607 votes were cast with 505 in favor and 102 votes against . The .58% increase over the 2011-12 school budget is the lowest increase in Edgemont’s history. Due to decreases in the tax base of almost $1 million, taxes will go up by 3.35%.
In order to keep increases to a minimum and comply with the cap, the district did make some curriculum changes and cut staff. Edgemont High School lost 5.5 teaching positions and
School Board candidate Jennifer Darger received 494 votes and Brian Yarrington, 491. Both are newcomers to the Edgemont School Board.
(Pictured at top: Board President Jill Spieler with Superintendent McGill)
The Search Is Over
- Details
- Hits: 6657
Scarsdale Schools Superintendent Mike McGill announced today that a new principal has been hired to lead Scarsdale High School. The position has been largely vacant since Principal John Klemme took a leave in December, 2010, and returned for a few weeks in April 2011 to complete the school year. In the interim, the principal’s responsibilities have been shared, initially by three and now four assistant principals.
The official search for a new candidate began in December, 2011 when a screening committee of teachers, parents and administrators was formed. According to Dr. McGill’s email, the committee interviewed 27 candidates out of a field of more than 75 prospects. Semi-finalists came to the District in April for day-long interviews with students, parents and teachers. Once the final candidate was identified, references were checked, a visiting team went to his school and he met with the Scarsdale Board of Education.
The new principal of Scarsdale High School will be Kenneth Bonamo, who currently heads the Townsend Harris High School in New York City. According to their website, the school is a selective public high school located at Queens College. The school enrollment is ethnically diverse and consists of 1,108 students who draw from all five boroughs of the city. The school has high rankings in city, state and national surveys.
Founded on a tradition of scholarship and community service, students at the school “aspire to live” the following Ephebic Oath:
I shall never bring disgrace to my city, nor shall I ever desert my comrades in the ranks; but I, both alone and with my many comrades, shall fight for the ideals and sacred things of the city. I shall willingly pay heed to whoever renders judgment with wisdom and shall obey both the laws already established and whatever laws the people in their wisdom shall establish. I, alone and with my comrades, shall resist anyone who destroys the laws or disobeys them. I shall not leave my city any less but rather greater than I found it.
According to Dr. McGill, parents, colleagues and supervisors at Townsend agree that Bonano has “ championed an education for the new century, upheld high standards for learning and behavior, and restored a sense of leadership.”
McGill is “fully confident that (Bonano will) provide the High School with vision and leadership that will be consistent with the best Scarsdale tradition.”
