New York State wants your opinion on its controversial Common Core curriculum.
The state has posted a voluminous survey on its Education Department website asking the public to respond to questions about the Common Core program.
According to a message from Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, the state is committed to evaluating the standards regularly. She said that the survey’s results “will directly inform any changes that we make to the standards as a result of the review.”
“My hope is that the voices of educators and parents will be heard in the survey process, and that the feedback provided has a positive impact on the direction of the state,” said Dr. Melissa Burak, Superintendent of Lynbrook Public Schools. “The new commissioner is making an attempt to understand the concerns of constituents which should be noted. However, the most important constituency group is the student. Everyone involved needs to keep that in the forefront.”
“We are pleased that educators, parents and community members will have this opportunity to express their views,” said East Rockaway School Superintendent Lisa Ruiz, “however, the survey is quite specific and in depth and therefore a bit of a challenge ... I am hopeful that individuals will take the time to express their views on the standards and provide the feedback NYSED is seeking. We are encouraging our teachers to engage in a collaborative review of the standards and provide detailed comments.”
Dr. Joseph Famularo, superintendent of Bellmore schools, noted that the survey “is challenging. There are over 2,000 items, but each time you click on a standard, it keeps drilling down to another level.” The instructions note that respondents don’t have to comment on every standard in the survey; in fact, they can comment on as few or as many issues as they choose.
