ESSA Letter

Please see the letter NYSUT sent to SED highlighting our concerns with the draft ESSA regulations which can be very harmful to districts with high opt-out rates like Bellmore-Merrick. Our ED 17 representative Tomia Smith from Massapequa sent out a sample letter we can send to SED expressing our shared concerns about the potential harm these ESSA regulations could have to our district. Please consider using it as a template or emailing your own letter to SED. 


In solidarity,
Mark

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I strongly disagree with the June 2018 ESSA draft regulations and ask that they be modified to address the following concerns:

• Parents’ federal right to opt-out their children from taking state assessments must be respected
• Schools should not be punished for high opt-out rates
• All educational factors in a school should be used when assessing its effectiveness-not primarily focusing on one assessment
• The Commissioner should not be given the right to put any school under preliminary registration review (SURR), possibly leading to school closure, based on high opt-out rates while ignoring actual student performance levels and other educational factors
• The Commissioner should not be allowed to impose a financial penalty by requiring Title 1 funds to be set aside if participation rates do not improve by the third year
• The State Education Department should not be allowed to interfere with collective bargaining agreements by imposing limits on teacher transfer or placement abilities
• The State Education Department should not be allowed to determine what employees represent the bargaining unit in any committee

It is my understanding that the Regents were only given a summary of the draft regulations prior to being asked to vote to bring it for public opinion.  This goes against any good practice of thoroughly reviewing a document, one that has such an impact on our school systems, prior to accepting it.
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I strongly encourage you to address these concerns.
MEMORANDUM
 TO:                 NYSUT Board of Directors
FROM:          Jolene DiBrango
DATE:           June 5, 2018
RE:                 ESSA Letter
We sent the attached letter to SED on last Tuesday highlighting our strong concerns with the ESSA regulations. The concerns we raise about the treatment of opt outs could have a significant impact on any locals in your area with high opt outs. Please share our letter with any of your locals with high opt out rates and urge them to send a comment letter to SED at ESSAREGCOMMENT@nysed.gov
Thank you for your help on this important issue. The Commissioner and the Board of Regents must hear from teachers in the field about the impact SED’s choices will have on their students and schools.
In solidarity,
Jolene

nysuts_comments_on_the_draft_essa_regualtions_-_may_2018.pdf
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