News from Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb
Assembly Office:
933 Legislative Office Building • Albany, NY 12248 • (518) 455-3751
District Offices:
607 West Washington Street • Suite 2 • Geneva, NY 14456 • (315) 781-2030
E-mail:

For Release: IMMEDIATELY, March 7, 2014
Contact: Emily Palumbos, (315) 781-2030
Assembly Minority Conference Calls For Meaningful Education Reform In Advance Of Statewide 'High-Stakes Testing' In April
Legislative column from Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,C,I-Canandaigua)

Earlier this week, I stood with my fellow Assembly Minority members to demand meaningful changes to the implementation of Common Core in New York State. The time for action is now - across the Empire State, schoolchildren will face yet another round of 'high-stakes' testing during the month of April. The Assembly Minority Conference supports a delay in testing until New York gets the right system in place. This week, we introduced a measure that would provide schoolchildren with an immediate remedy for these poorly-implemented standards.

Last fall, the Assembly Minority Conference held 11 Education Forums around the state, including one at the University of Rochester. At each of these meetings, parents, teachers and education experts soundly decried the flawed implementation of Common Core and the debilitating effects of 'high-stakes' testing on schoolchildren. Finger Lakes families have said loud and clear - put the brakes on Common Core. It's a broken system and our children deserve real reform.

On Wednesday, we took action by proposing a bill that would create the Blue Ribbon Commission on 21st Century Testing and Curriculum. A group of education experts would formally examine the flawed implementation of Common Core and make recommendations to the governor and Legislature. During the review, the State Education Department would be prohibited from requiring school districts to implement Common Core or test children on the new standards.

Even though this common-sense legislation has a Senate counterpart and would improve the education of millions of schoolchildren in New York, the Assembly Majority Conference chose to push the measure aside and instead voted for a one-house bill that does not go far enough for our children. The failure of the Majority Conference to act on this legislation is a disservice to all of New York's children, especially those with special needs, who deserve nothing less than a top-notch education.

ASSEMBLY MINORITY APPLE PLAN WOULD DELIVER REAL REFORM

The Assembly Minority Conference has led the charge to improve education in New York. Our Achieving Pupil Preparedness & Launching Excellence (APPLE) Plan offers comprehensive reform. Some key components include:

  • Stopping the rushed implementation of the Common Core State Standards;
  • Providing funding for professional development;
  • Eliminating the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) to help school districts become fiscally stable;
  • Reducing the over-reliance on student testing;
  • Reasserting that an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is the supreme document for the education of a child with special needs; and
  • Requiring that parents must consent to any disclosure of student information to a third party.

A copy of the report is available at http://www.scribd.com/doc/201479293/At-the-Educational-Crossroads.

The Majority's inaction shows a profound lack of understanding of the educational needs of schoolchildren in New York State. They have not gone far enough to address the concerns of those directly impacted by our education system. There is far more they could have done, and any claims that they have meaningfully halted Common Core are disingenuous at best. While they are pushing for fringe alterations, we are pushing for true reform. We have a long road ahead, and it is my sincere hope that we can get serious about fixing our flawed education system.

What do you think? I want to hear from you. Send me your feedback, suggestions and ideas regarding this or any other issue facing New York State. You can always contact my district office at (315) 781-2030 or email me at kolbb@assembly.state.ny.us.