Amore Bill Seeks to Evaluate School Testing

State Representative, Gregg Amore (D-Dist. 65, East Providence) has introduced legislation which would establish a cross-sectional committee of Rhode Islanders to evaluate Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Rhode Island. According to a General Assembly press release late last month, the bill (2014-H 7095) would ask a 20 member task force to "evaluate the current system so students, teachers, parents and administrators can – at the very least – fully understand the implications of the new system." The task force will include the state education commissioner, Deborah Gist or designee. This legislation is in response to "ongoing turmoil over the replacement of the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) with a new exam based on Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

In the state house release Rep. Amore stated that the “The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam, which is the test that is supposed to replace the NECAP, has not been properly vetted or validated. Until we have all the facts in front of us and know what we’re getting ourselves into, we should not be holding anyone accountable through this system. No one has a clear picture of how much the common core objectives will cost our (school) districts overall. Furthermore, instruction is going to be driven by the PARCC exam, which like the NECAP is going to determine a student’s graduation eligibility. Out of fairness, the right thing to do here is to delay the test until the task force can vet these new requirements and work together with the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE) to help the public understand what’s going to happen next year," Amore added.

Amore went on to say: “While sifting through some of these requirements, it is apparent to me that there needs to be further discussion about how curricula will address RIDE’s objectives for students. The new standards are asking us to extend the number of hours our students are being tested in the classroom. Right now, I don’t understand how they can properly administer the test and expect students to meet their expectations. A lot of it doesn’t match up, and we should be soliciting input from education leaders and parents before moving full steam ahead.”

According to the General Assembly, Rhode Island had adopted the CCSS in 2010, and is one of many states that plan to implement a new exam – in this case, a test developed through PARCC – based on the CCSS standards next year. Representative Amore’s legislation would prevent RIDE from administering any PARCC assessments prior to the issuance of a final report from the task force.

Amore's legislation would research the following:

• A description of actions taken by the state to-date to in order to implement the common core state standards and a timeline of any subsequent actions to be taken;

• A comparison of the common core state standards for English language arts and mathematics to the core curriculum content standards in language arts literacy and mathematics that existed prior to the adoption of the common core state standards;

• An estimate of the full cost for school districts to implement the common core state standards, including projected costs and costs already incurred by districts in preparation for the new system;

• An analysis of students’ performance on the state assessments prior to the 2012-2013 school year and in the 2012-2013 and subsequent school years. The analysis shall assess changes in the achievement gap between different racial and ethnic groups, as well as different economic groups.

Amore wants the task force to consider issues relating to student and family personal data mining and the right to students' privacy. "Members of the panel would consider data related to learning disabilities, student behavior, political affiliation, religious affiliation and medical history." Upon passage of the Amore bill, the task force would have up to one year to hold a minimum of 4 public hearings, representing each of the state's geographical regions.

“We need to seek more public input to understand what the issues are before we can properly evaluate the system in its entirety,” Representative Amore said. “Obviously, there are going to be different opinions from everyone and we need to take into account the needs of a wide range of districts. I am fully aware of both the wonderful opportunities and the constraints of the Race To The Top money awarded to Rhode Island, but what I’m hoping to do is slow down the process. The upheaval of your entire public education system is not something to be rushed in any way. Pushing through objectives without the proper support or input will only hurt the students in the end.”

Amore was joined in sponsorship of this bill by 4 other House legislators; Representatives John J. DeSimone (D-Dist. 5, Providence), William W. O’Brien (D-Dist. 54, North Providence), Eileen S. Naughton (D-Dist. 21, Warwick) and Grace Diaz (D-Dist. 9, Providence).

Heather Vine, parent from East Providence likes the Amore legislation. "I hope RI ends this. I don't feel we are racing to the top of anything and the majority of our kids are just more stressed out over school... Common Core, portfolios, graduation requirements, rubrics... You name it!" said Vine.

Another parent, Brian Richard blogged that "somebody needs to do something. Kudos for him (Amore) taking that step to really evaluate the Common Core and its impact on all involved. These legislators look at this stuff with blinders on. I applaud your efforts."

East Providence city council member, Chrissy Rossi thinks that local elected bodies should endorse this legislation. The Providence City Council unanimously asked the state to stop its' "controversial" NECAP policy. The Providence council asked the state board of education in Rhode Island to abandon its waiver policy and instead suspend the high stakes graduation requirement.

"The test (CCSS) has not been completed yet. The state adopted the standards in 2009-10 as part of Race to the Top," added Amore. "I was elected in 2012 so perhaps a new set of eyes will help the process. "As many as 14 states are looking at delaying or have delayed implementation and at least six states have withdrawn from PARCC assessment including Florida which is where much of this was originally hatched," said Amore in response to a question on how many states have delayed or pulled away from common core curriculum.