City, state teachers' unions take different tacks on exam scores
New York's city and state teachers' unions had starkly different responses Wednesday to the release of state exam scores, highlighting the divergent opinions on the Common Core academic standards and the opt out movement the unions have adopted.
Just moments after the results were released Wednesday morning, New York State United Teachers president Karen Magee sent out a statement through a spokesman condemning the exams without addressing the scores.
"It would be a huge mistake to read anything into these test results," Magee said. "Whether they're up or down, they tell us virtually nothing meaningful about students or their teachers. Student test scores based on poorly written, developmentally inappropriate Pearson tests, in a year in which record numbers of parents repudiated the state’s standardized testing program by ‘opting out,’ aren’t worth the paper they are printed on.”
Magee has been perhaps the state's strongest high-level voice in favor of the opt out movement. Earlier this year, she directly encouraged parents to have their children boycott the state exams, drawing criticism from city and state education officials, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Magee's invocation may have been one of the factors that led to the state's staggering 20-percent opt out rate, a new record.
The city United Federation of Teachers, led by Michael Mulgrew, has taken a wholly different approach, which was reflected in a statement he issued Wednesday.
Mulgrew has not asked parents to opt out of exams, saying instead that every parent should decide what is right for their individual child.
He did not address the opt out movement, and instead praised New York City students' modest gains on the exams.
"We’re seeing progress, particularly in reading, thanks to a city administration that really cares about student learning, increased availability of appropriate curriculum and training, and hard work by teachers and students," Mulgrew said.
New York City's opt out rate was tiny—just under 2 percent—compared to the state's.
The two unions are operating in vastly different political climates.
Magee's default local government is the Cuomo administration, which has all but declared war on the unions with proposals that would increase the importance of standardized tests in teacher evaluations and create more charter schools.
Magee and Mulgrew spent the winter and spring fighting Cuomo's education proposals—some diluted versions of which were ultimately passed in the state budget.
But Mulgrew is in a more nuanced political situation downstate. He and Mayor Bill de Blasio often tout their close partnership, which Mulgrew frequently contrasts to the City, state teachers' unions take different tacks on exam scores | POLITICO: