PTA and the Common Core

The NY State PTA combined voices have sent more than 8,000 messages to the US Secretary of Education, NYS Commissioner, Board of Regents and state legislators to lobby for a call to action with regard to implementation of the Common Core.  

The PTA campaign include the following key points in our efforts to advocate for sensible measures to realize the promise of the Common Core:  

•    Value input from parents – As parents, our input should be considered most important to state officials.

•    Order a one-year delay – We need to suspend the link between student test results and educator evaluation for at least one year. 

•    Implement first, test second – Testing should be the last piece of the implementation puzzle; first comes the creation of quality implementation, then improved testing models.

•    Create improved, flexible testing – One size does not fit all.  Testing must be more thoughtful, less frequent, and better suited to the learning objectives we have for individual groups of students.

•    Expand professional development – Our leaders need to hear that implementation of the Common Core will be less-than-successful if we do not broadly support ongoing professional development efforts to update standards and practices.  In the era of limited state support and a revenue-restricting tax cap, local districts cannot shoulder this burden alone.  The state must commit to helping Common Core implementation succeed with appropriate funding to continuously develop our educators.


A Parent’s Guide to Common Core Learning

Need help with your child’s homework?  Log into either of the below sites to help you understand the concepts your child is learning about each day.  

www.khanacademy.org

www.learnzillion.com