By Carol P. Bartold     

Jan. 6, 2016:  According to Bronxville School Superintendent Dr. David Quattrone, the Common Core Standards could change as a result of recommendations from the Common Core Task Force appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, "but the end result is unlikely to be much different."

The six-member task force of educators appointed by the governor in September of 2015 released its report on December 10, the same day that President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act.

According to Quattrone, several policy shifts come into play. While the Every Student Succeeds Act reaffirms the requirement for annual testing of students in grades 3 through 8, as well as continued annual testing as those students progress through high school, the new law returns control of accountability and sanctions to the states.

The New York State Common Core Task Force has reaffirmed the importance of high standards but, after hearing concerns about implementation and dealing with a significant number of students in some districts who opted out of testing, made several recommendations for revisions.

Among the task force recommendations are that teacher evaluations based on Common Core test results not become a factor in state assessments until the 2019-2020 school year and that the Common Core standards be revised to align with state standards that are age appropriate and more flexible. While the New York State Board of Regents passed emergency regulations to reinforce those recommendations, Quattrone said, "The structure of accountability remains unchanged. The impact is being postponed."

Quattrone stressed the importance of distinguishing between standards, assessments, and accountability measures in the understanding of the impact of the Common Core. "I hope any new primary grade standards reflect the wide span of development readiness that exists for young children," he said. "I also hope the standards help clarify the math sequence beginning with algebra in grade 8."

He described the assessments associated with the Common Core Standards as problematic. "The tests are too long and frequent," he said. He added that any comprehensive approach to assessment should include a formative component that will help teachers determine the best next instructional steps.

He pointed out that, while the emergency regulations give local districts more time to develop fairer and better learning objectives, they do nothing to change the underlying accountability structure.

"The accountability system is deeply flawed," Quattrone said. "The state continues to wallow in illusions of technical accuracy." He explained that no one system of evaluation exists that can form the basis of a rating. He stated that, while student achievement should be a factor in teacher accountability, the current system "has not created a model that supports our highest aspirations for learning and teaching."

Pictured here:  Dr. David Quattrone, superintendent of the Bronxville schools.

Photo by N. Bower