Rosa on testing: Parents can chose

On Board Online • March 28, 2016

By Cathy Woodruff
Senior Writer

The Regents this month elected Betty Rosa, who has been a vocal critic of state tests, teacher evaluations and other elements of New York's strategy to improve educational results, as their next chancellor.

In remarks to the board when she was named chancellor, Rosa said she was interested in "transformation" rather than "reform," but it is not yet clear what she meant by either. Her answers to questions from reporters were open to interpretation on whether she would like to see the number of test refusals decline, whether she supports higher educational standards and what she would like to see happen with teacher evaluations.

"I want us to get to a better place," Rosa said repeatedly in response to questions from reporters about whether she hopes to see test refusals decline. She described that as "a place where we come to the table and examine the current tests and move forward in a way that parents have a sense of full trust."

A former bilingual teacher, principal and superintendent in New York City schools, Rosa, 64, has represented the Bronx on the board for eight years. When she officially takes office on April 1, she will be the first Latina chancellor. She will succeed Merryl Tisch, the first woman chancellor, who is stepping down after 20 years as an at-large Regent, including seven years as chancellor.

One hot-button issue that Rosa hasn't been explicit about since her election is whether student test results should play a role in teacher evaluations, and if so, how.

"The governor has given us time to take a look at what is in place currently, and we certainly are taking stock of what's in place," Rosa said of the evaluation system. "Many times, in these types of situations, you hold on to what's working and what the people and the practitioners tell us is effective."

While Rosa praised efforts led by Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia to address parent concerns about state tests (which include fewer questions, more time, more teacher involvement in vetting test questions and a new test preparation company), she stopped short of saying she wants to see the number of test refusals go down.

"My recommendation is that parents should be informed, and parents should make their own personal decisions," said Rosa, whose candidancy was supported by test refusal groups.

At her first news conference, she surprised many by saying, "If I was a parent (of a school-age child) and I was not on the Board of Regents, I would opt out at this time."

Rosa cited comments last year by Tisch, who said if she were the mother of a student with a disability, she would "think twice" before allowing her child to sit through an "incomprehensible" exam.

In this regard, Rosa does not necessarily represent a sharp departure from Tisch's positions or from other Regents, who have supported ongoing adjustments in the pace and execution of measures tied to implementation of the Common Core learning standards. A temporary halt in the use of state test results in teacher and principal evaluations, in line with recommendations from a Common Core Task Force appointed by the governor, already is in place.

Rosa will be joined on the board's new leadership team by a new vice chancellor, T. Andrew Brown, 57, a Rochester attorney who has represented a region that includes several counties in the Southern Tier since 2012.

Brown was more definitive in his remarks about reducing opt-outs: "Hopefully, we will see less," he said. "We are hopeful that we are making progress, that we will continue to make progress and that we will continue to see the number of opt-outs decline."

Brown succeeds Syracuse attorney Anthony Bottar, who is retiring after 20 years as a Regent, and Rosa succeeds Merryl Tisch, who also stepped down after 20 years.

While acknowledging parents' right to choose, Elia said at a news conference that student assessments are important, and "I want them to make the decision based on the situation that we have in place right now."

Noting the increased teacher involvement and other steps, Elia said "I do believe the tests we have in place are better, and I do believe that there is a benefit for those assessments to be given to our students, so that we have a plan as we move forward."

Rosa, who spent her early childhood years in Puerto Rico, said her position on test refusals was informed by her experience as a child who did not speak English when she began attending school in New York and by her work in schools attended by many students with disabilities.

Several Regents, including Rosa and Tisch, have argued strenuously for waivers from federal rules giving English language learners just a year before they sit for state tests in English language arts and math and that offer little leeway for testing students with disabilities at their instructional or cognitive level.

Although many decisions made by the Regents are constrained by state or federal law, New York now has more flexibility in decisions about whether and how to incorporate student test results in its educator evaluation system. Use of test results was one of the requirements to receive federal waivers under No Child Left Behind and funding through Race to The Top. That's no longer a factor in the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Rosa has not said exactly how much test results should count as a measure of teacher effectiveness, but has suggested their weight should be low. "I see it as a contributor, but not a major contributor," she told public radio interviewer Susan Arbetter of WCNY's Capitol Pressroom.

In an interview with Politico New York, Tisch urged the Regents to "stay the course" on raising educational standards. "I really believe that the standards and access, for all, to high-content coursework is a civil rights issue, and it's the civil rights issue of this generation," Tisch said.

A group of Common Core advocates said it's time for families to stop boycotting tests that federal law requires school districts to administer. "With [Rosa's] election, it is now time for the organizers of the so-called opt-out movement to finally take yes for an answer and stop urging children to refuse to take the tests," leaders of High Achievement New York said in a statement. "And they must end their campaign to destroy higher standards."

NYSSBA Executive Director Timothy G. Kremer said important issues before the Regents include "educational equity for all, revamping the Common Core learning standards and standardized testing program, attracting the most qualified teacher candidates, and creating a new teacher evaluation system."

He added: "Chancellor Rosa is well-qualified for her post, and we are looking forward to working with her and other members of the Board of Regents."