The ATA Continues Their Advocacy for Teachers!!
On March 24th, the ATA held an Advocacy luncheon at the Amsterdam High School during the Superintendent's Conference Day. The guest speaker was Karen McGee, President of NYSUT. She praised our local co-presidents and leadership and thanked all the ATA for being THE union; the people who fought so hard last year and continue to advocate for fairness in APPR and combating the Governor in his misguided educational plan.
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Amsterdam Teachers Association Gives Away over 2000 Books
On Homecoming Saturday, September 26, 2015, the ATA handed out over 2000 new childrens' books to any child who visited the tables at the Lynch Fall Festival. Many ATA members staffed the tables and spoke to the children and their parents as they came to collect their books. Here are some pictures from the event "First Book". This is the second year the ATA has participated in this NYSUT-sponsored event.
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NEW! Be sure to check out the Political Tab of our website. There are links to the email addresses of the politicians we need to contact.
New Teachers in the GASD Gather for Informational Lunch
August 26, 2015
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ATA in the NYT
He didn't start the fire, but he's opting out
Tisch: Exempt high performing schools from new evaluations
ALBANY—The day after lawmakers approved a plan to overhaul New York’s teacher- and principal-evaluation system, the state’s top education official said she wants to exempt high-performing districts from the new requirements.
Board of Regents chancellor Merryl Tisch told Capital on Wednesday that districts with a record of strong student performance, including high graduation rates or college readiness, should have more autonomy, similar to how charter schools are given some freedom from state laws and regulations.
Click here to read the rest!
ALBANY—The day after lawmakers approved a plan to overhaul New York’s teacher- and principal-evaluation system, the state’s top education official said she wants to exempt high-performing districts from the new requirements.
Board of Regents chancellor Merryl Tisch told Capital on Wednesday that districts with a record of strong student performance, including high graduation rates or college readiness, should have more autonomy, similar to how charter schools are given some freedom from state laws and regulations.
Click here to read the rest!
Regent Cashin of New York Speaks Out Against High-Stakes Testing
from Diane Ravitch's blog:
from Diane Ravitch's blog:
I received this statement from Dr. Kathleen Cashin, a member of the New York State Board of Regents, representing Brooklyn. Dr. Cashin has had a long professional career in education as a teacher, a principal, and a superintendent in the New York City public schools. She has taken a principled stand against the misuse of standardized tests. I add her to the blog’s honor roll for standing up for what is right for children, for teachers, for principals, and for education.
She writes:
“As a Regent of the State of New York, I cannot endorse the use of the current state tests for teacher/principal evaluation since that was not the purpose for which they were developed. It is axiomatic in the field of testing that tests should be used only for the purpose for which they were designed. They were designed to measure student performance, not teacher effectiveness. The American Statistical Association, the National Academy of Education, and the American Educational Research Association have cautioned that student tests should not be used to evaluate individual teachers. Nor should these tests be used for student growth measures until there is clear evidence that they are valid and reliable. The Board of Regents should commission an independent evaluation of these tests to verify their reliability and validity before they are used for high-stakes purposes for students, teachers, principals, and schools. How can we criticize people for opting out when the tests have not been verified? We need to cease and desist in the use of these tests until such time as we can be confident of their reliability and validity. If tests do meet those criteria, the tests must be released to teachers and to the public after they are given, in the spirit of transparency and accountability.”
Dr. Kathleen Cashin
click here to visit the blog
She writes:
“As a Regent of the State of New York, I cannot endorse the use of the current state tests for teacher/principal evaluation since that was not the purpose for which they were developed. It is axiomatic in the field of testing that tests should be used only for the purpose for which they were designed. They were designed to measure student performance, not teacher effectiveness. The American Statistical Association, the National Academy of Education, and the American Educational Research Association have cautioned that student tests should not be used to evaluate individual teachers. Nor should these tests be used for student growth measures until there is clear evidence that they are valid and reliable. The Board of Regents should commission an independent evaluation of these tests to verify their reliability and validity before they are used for high-stakes purposes for students, teachers, principals, and schools. How can we criticize people for opting out when the tests have not been verified? We need to cease and desist in the use of these tests until such time as we can be confident of their reliability and validity. If tests do meet those criteria, the tests must be released to teachers and to the public after they are given, in the spirit of transparency and accountability.”
Dr. Kathleen Cashin
click here to visit the blog