Long Island Principal Decries Quality of State Exams

May 2, 2012, 6:13 p.m.

By MARIA NEWMAN

NY Times School Book

Days after a Brooklyn principal wrote a widely publicized letter of protest about the quality of this year’s new state standardized exams, another principal has written to John B. King Jr., New York’s education commissioner, to complain about the tests.

This time the letter comes from Sharon Emick Fougner, principal of Elizabeth Mellick Baker Elementary School in Great Neck, Long Island, who urged the commissioner to conduct a review of the math exam that was given to fourth to eighth graders last month.

She wrote that she was “quite honestly horrified by the content, format, language and presentation of this year’s exams.”

The tests for English language arts and math, administered during April, have been riddled with problems. Some parents have opted out of the test, and teachers and principals have criticized the questions.

Various questions have already been tossed out by the state.

The exams are new this year and were produced by the Pearson testing company under a five-year, $32 million contract. They are not being publicly released, ostensibly to prevent teachers and tutors from teaching to the new test.

Ms. Fougner said she was prompted to write to the commissioner because, “I really feel at this point that we are waging a war for the hearts and minds of our children. My obligation as a principal of a school and as an educator is to advocate first and foremost for children. I can’t watch what’s happening to our children without speaking out against it.”

Ms. Fouger said she hopes her letter “will help the state education department to design tests that are more effective and productive for children and more appropriate for them.” State Education Department officials have not yet responded to the letter.

Here is the letter, reprinted with permission from Ms. Fougner:

Full text of letter available by clicking here.