Referred to: The Legislative Programs, Education and Community Services

Committee (Chairman Wawro and Legislators Berky, Delaune, Donaldson and

Lopez)

Legislator Chris Allen offers the following:

WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Education mandated a policy

whereby all teachers in grades Pre K- 8th Grade should have been teaching all

students Common Core-based learning standards, and that all teachers in grades 9-12

should have been in the process of implementing Common Core-based learning

standards-aligned units and building Common Core-based content capacity during

the 2012-13 school year; and

 WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Education has mandated that

Common Core instructional materials and Common Core testing be administered in

all schools throughout New York State; and

 WHEREAS, on December 14th, 2015, the New York State Board of Regents

placed a four-year suspension on students’ Common Core test scores being used as a

determining factor in evaluating teachers’ performance levels and the performance

levels of school principals throughout New York State’s Educational System; and

 WHEREAS, under current policy, beginning in the 2020 School Year,

students’ Common Core test results will again be used as a determining factor in the

evaluation of teacher performance and the performance of school principals

throughout New York State’s Educational System; and

 WHEREAS, Common Core instructional materials, assessment tests, testing

materials, training manuals and teacher evaluation programs are all manufactured and

sold by Pearson Publishing, a British-based educational publishing company; and

 WHEREAS, forty-five States and three territories within the United States

including New York State are consumers of Common Core-based instructional

materials, testing materials and assessment programs; and

 WHEREAS, Pearson Publishing generates over Four Billion Dollars in annual

sales from the United States and Canada, much of which comes from Common Corebased educational materials; and 

 WHEREAS, the costs associated with administering Common Core within

New York State’s Educational System have cost tens of millions of dollars; and

 WHEREAS, the introduction and inclusion of Common Core into the New

York State Educational System has caused a great amount of stress and

dissatisfaction among students, teachers, administrators and parents across Ulster

County and all of New York State; and

 WHEREAS, New York State Assembly Bill A09182 calls for an immediate

suspension of Common Core testing throughout New York State and for a new

evaluative system to be constructed through a collaborative effort of teachers,

parents, school administrators and educational experts; now, therefore, be it

 RESOLVED, that the Ulster County Legislature strongly recommends that the

New York State Assembly advance A09182, and encourages the New York State

Senate to adopt a same-as bill, which would suspend Common Core testing

throughout New York State and eliminate Common Core test scores as a criterion of

teacher evaluations and the evaluation of principle; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the Clerk of the Ulster County Legislature shall forward

copies of this resolution to the Chair of the New York State Assembly Education

Committee Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, and all of the Ulster County

representatives of the New York State Legislature,

and move its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES: NOES:

Postponed in Committee: Legislative Programs, Education and Community Services

on June 13, 2016

Passed Committee: Legislative Programs, Education and Community Services on

_____________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

NONE