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BEDFORD, N.Y. – Students in the Bedford Central School District will be put to the test this week.
Youngsters in grades 3 through 8 will begin taking the state’s English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics assessments on Tuesday. But this year’s version of the test is going to be different, and more challenging, than years past, education officials warn.
“The tests are different this year — they’re more rigorous,” said Bedford Central School District Superintendent Jere Hochman. “I think more challenging tests are always a good thing, but at the same time, we’re always trying to find the right balance between preparing our students for these tests without altering our usual curriculum.”
Hochman admitted Bedford schools — along with every other district in the state — have been warned to expect scores across the state to go down, saying, “we are expecting that. However, we are confident our teachers and students will do well.”
For the first time, New York state assessments will be based on the revamped Common Core Learning Standards, a series of benchmarks that have been adopted by 45 states. The goal is to develop more critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, state educators say, and evaluate students and teachers more rigorously.
“Students will be asked to read more difficult texts, to use evidence to support their arguments, and to perform multiple-step math problems," John King, the state's Commissioner of Education, said.
State officials say the standards were created through intensive research, mapping backwards from college and career success.
In a memo to education officials around the state, Ken Slentz, New York's deputy commissioner of P-12 education, said there will now be a new definition of “readiness” at each grade level.
The hope, he said, is that educators and parents will have an indicator of how students are performing and progressing toward college- and career-readiness.
“If students are to graduate high school fully prepared, they must meet the benchmarks set by the Common Core – at every grade and in every classroom,” Slentz wrote.
King warned students, parents and teachers not to be discouraged if they see scores drop.
“The number of students meeting or exceeding Common Core grade-level expectations should not be interpreted as a decline in student learning or a decline in educator performance," he said.
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