NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Chancellor Carmen Farina says New York City’s school system will de-emphasize the importance of standardized test scores in deciding which students must repeat a grade.
Farina said Wednesday that starting this year, teachers and principals will make promotion decisions based on a range of factors, including test scores and classroom work.
“We have listened and worked closely with families, teachers and principals to establish a new promotion policy that complies with State law and empowers educators, takes the temperature down around testing, and keeps rigorous standards in place,” Farina said in a news release. “This new way forward maintains accountability, but mitigates the unintended consequences of relying solely on a single test. Through a comprehensive evaluation of student work using multiple measures, our new policy is a step forward for students, parents, and schools.”
The policy change must be approved by the Panel for Educational Policy at its May 29 meeting.
The teachers’ and principals’ unions praised the policy change.
United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said changing the promotion policy is “just common sense.”
Council of School Supervisors and Administrators President Ernest Logan said the change means children will be treated “more humanely.”
The new policy affects students in grades 3 through 8.
“It’s absolutely vital that students are ready to succeed in the next grade when they are promoted,” said state Education Commissioner John King Jr. “The best way to do that, as the governor and legislature have affirmed, is to use multiple measures to make sure students are ready for promotion. We’ll work together with NYCDOE to make sure all our students are on the path to college and career readiness.”
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Tagged: Carmen Farina, Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, Ernest Logan, John King Jr, Michael Mulgrew, New York City Department of Education, Standardized Tests, United Federation of Teachers President 
