Summary Report on the Standards Review Initiative Public Forums

As part of the Board of Regents initiative to review the New York State Learning Standards, six Public Forums were held across New York State during April and May 2008. The public engagement opportunities were arranged in keeping with the Board of Regents’ P-16 Plan, and Chapter 57 of the Laws of 2007, which requires that the Regents “seek the recommendations of teachers, school administrators, teacher educators and others with educational expertise on improvements to the Standards so that they ensure that students are prepared, in appropriate progression, for post-secondary education or employment.” The Forums were organized in collaboration with the Board of Regents, the District Superintendents and BOCES, the ELA/ESL Panel, the Steering Committee, the Standards Review Research Team, the Co-chairs of the ELA/ESL Panel, and the New York State Education Department.

The comments from the Public Forums will help to inform the Board of Regents, the Steering Committee, the Standards Review Research Team, and the ELA/ESL Panel as they review the English Language Arts/English as a Second Language Learning Standards. At these Forums, the participants were asked about the content, format, and measurability of the English Language Arts (ELA) and English as a Second Language (ESL) Learning Standards. Results will help to inform the review and possible revision of the ELA/ESL Learning Standards.

In order to gather consistent feedback, each Public Forum included a similar format, including a welcome, overview of the Standards Review Process, and a workgroup discussion of the four key questions. Workgroups were provided the Learning Standards for English Language Arts, the English Language Arts Core Curriculum, the Learning Standards for English as a Second Language, and a handout on the Draft Standards Review Working Principles. Each of the approximately 977 participants worked in small groups and submitted group discussion comment summaries organized around four key questions. Additionally, many also submitted individual comment sheets.

The responses from the Standards Review Initiative Public Forums have been collected, reviewed, and organized by the key question set forth in the provided worksheet. An analysis of the comments revealed many consistent recommendations and themes. The most frequent themes for each of the discussion questions (1-4) have been compiled in bulleted lists below ordered by frequency of response level, highest to lowest.

Question 1:

ELA/ESL Standards Content and Substance.  Considering the content and substance of the Standards and Performance Indicators, what do you recommend be kept?  What do you recommend be dropped?  What do you feel is missing?  What needs to be updated and/or revised?

The most frequent comments for Question 1 were:

• The use of technology needs to be more clearly integrated in the ELA Standards/ELA Core Curriculum
• There should be interdisciplinary Learning Standards
• ELA should be embedded in other Standard areas; the Arts and other disciplines should be embedded in ELA
• The performance indictors in the ELA Standards/ELA Core Curriculum are not clear; make them more specific, rigorous, and in-depth 
• The ELA performance indicators should be condensed throughout the ELA Standards/ELA Core Curriculum. There are too many performance indicators and/or they are too repetitive  
• The developmental level, appropriateness, and order of the performance indicators needs to be specific and clear throughout the ELA Standards/ELA Core Curriculum, Prekindergarten-12 
• Digital, media, and/or information literacy needs to be included in the ELA Standards/ELA Core Curriculum 
• Explicit reading and comprehension guidance needs to be included throughout the ELA Standards/ELA Core Curriculum 
• Proficiency/mastery/benchmark indications should be clear at each grade level, Prekindergarten-12   
• Include more on the process of writing and writing expectations in the ELA Standards/ELA Core Curriculum; include examples of different types of writing (for example, persuasive, expository, technical writing, etc)
• The English Language Arts Standards and/or ELA performance indicators should remain unchanged
• Grammar/mechanics/editing should be included at each grade level, Prekindergarten-12 
• Criteria for higher order thinking/critical thinking skills should be included in the ELA Standards/ELA Core Curriculum, Prekindergarten-12

Question 2:

Organization and Format of the ELA/ESL Standards.  Is the organization and format of the current Standards and Performance Indicators easy to understand by teachers and others?  Does the current format and organization promote engagement by teachers and does this format make the Standards easily “usable” by teachers?  What organization and format would you recommend be considered?

The most frequent comments for Question 2 were:

• The performance indicators’ lists should be changed from the current format
• The continuum of performance indicators is not evident in the current format. Grade-by-grade horizontal alignment is needed, with a focus on skills, not grade levels
• There are too many performance indicators, with too much repetition
• The format of the ELA Standards/ELA Core Curriculum is not user-friendly
• The ELA Standards and ELA Core Curriculum should be changed from the current formats
• There is a need for grade-by-grade specificity for performance indicators
• Arrange performance indicators across ELA Standards/ELA Core Curriculum for developmental sequence, by order of importance, connecting across grade levels
• Add examples of student work to the ELA Standards/ELA Core Curriculum
• Create an easy-to-use online format for the ELA Standards/ELA Core Curriculum
• Align ELA Standards across other content Standard areas and show connections
• Use clear, understandable, educator-friendly language in the ELA Standards/ELA Core Curriculum

Question 3:

Are the ELA/ESL Standards Measurable?  How do you feel about the current ability of these Standards and Performance Indicators to be properly measured?  Can student understanding or proficiency be measured through multiple assessment approaches?  In your discussion, please address measurability of the Standards through local assessment measures, state assessments and classroom methods (observation, portfolio evaluation, etc.).

The most frequent comments for Question 3 were:

• Multiple assessments are needed to measure the ELA Standards
• SED should develop formative and summative assessments
• Better alignment is needed between performance indicators and test questions
• Performance indicators are not easily measurable/testable
• More standard scoring rubrics are needed
• The Regents Comprehensive Examination in English needs to be reformatted/designed
• We need State testing which combines Standards areas
• Alternate State tests are necessary for special education students
• A speaking component is needed for the State assessments
• A growth model is needed to measure student achievement in the ELA/ESL Standards and the ELA Core Curriculum

Question 4:

Please provide any additional comments or input.

The most frequent comments for Question 4 were:

• The Standards Review Working Principles should reflect what is important to teaching and learning in New York State
• More training in instructional strategies is necessary to implement the ELA/ESL Standards and the ELA Core Curriculum
• It would have been helpful to have more time for questions and answers during the Forums           
• ESL Standards should include the ELA Standards         
• Parents need outreach about the Standards        
• Standards revision should facilitate the successful transition from secondary to post-secondary education 

Location and Attendance for the Forums

The six Public Forums were held in Buffalo, Long Island, New York City, Glens Falls, Syracuse, and Westchester. Each featured participation by teachers, administrators, higher education professionals, parents, Board of Regents members, and school board and community members. Attendance patterns were approximately as follows:

• Buffalo- Total: 250

90 school administrators, 140 teachers, 10 college representatives, 10

parents and/or community members

• Long Island- Total: 131

90 school administrators, 30 teachers, 5 college representatives, 6 parents

and/or community members

• New York City-Total: 141

80 school administrators, 49 teachers, 5 college representatives, 7 parents  

and/or community members

• Glens Falls- Total: 129              

58 school administrators, 57 teachers, 5 college representatives, 9 parents

and/or community members

• Syracuse- Total: 151

69 school administrators, 69 teachers, 4 college representatives, 9 parents

and/or community members

• Westchester- Total: 175

70 school administrators, 89 teachers, 9 college representatives, and 7

parents and/or community members

NYSED Standards Review Initiative website http://www.p12.nysed.gov/standardsreview/