A sign from a rally last year at PS 199.

Public school parents are planning to rally at neighborhood schools on Thursday at 7:45 a.m. to protest plans by Governor Cuomo to change the way the state evaluates teachers.

Cuomo is pushing a plan that would make student tests account for 50% of a teacher’s score, up from 40% now. It would also take evaluations out of the hands of principals by having third-party reviewers evaluate teachers. Their scores would account for 35% of the teachers’ total score, with school administrators’ ratings accounting for 15%.

The governor’s plan is explained starting on page 227 of this document. He argues that the evaluation system needs to be changed, given that less than 1% of New York state teachers were deemed ineffective last year even though 35.8% of students were proficient in math and 31.4% were proficient in English Language Arts.

Teachers say that the new evaluation system takes control over the schools away from local communities and into the hands of the state bureaucracy, and will only increase “teaching to the test,” which has drawn rising complaints from parents and teachers in the neighborhood.

Some parents who have contacted us also criticize the governor’s policies on co-locating charter schools, and giving tax breaks for private school tuition even as NYC public schools remain underfunded.

The Protect Our Schools protest will take place on Thursday morning, and is expected to include thousands of teachers, parents and students around the city.

PS 87 teachers sent out the following letter to families.

Dear P.S. 87 Families:

As you have probably heard, Governor Cuomo has proposed major policy
changes for New York and we need your help to protect our children’s
education. At P.S. 87 we strive to develop engaging, creative and
thoughtful curricula so that all types of learners succeed and develop a
love of learning. However, if the Governor’s proposals take effect, what we
value as a quality and fulfilling education will be in jeopardy.

If Governor Cuomo’s emphasis on test scores becomes law, each and every
classroom in our school will be affected. There will be less time for
meaningful integrated studies throughout the grades. There will be less
time to study trees and create apple markets. There will be less time to
study animals, design habitats, and create animal museums. There will be
less time to explore our neighborhoods, visit New York City landmarks, and
create guidebooks. There will be less time to study Chinese culture, make
shadow puppets, arrange music, and create original plays based on Chinese
legends. It is through these kinds of integrated studies that we teach
children to work collaboratively, think critically and problem solve. It
is through these kinds of studies that all learners can thrive. If Governor
Cuomo has his way, there will be less time for us to educate your children
in the ways we find most meaningful and beneficial.

We want to let you know, from our perspective, the changes Governor Cuomo’s proposed law could bring to public schools — and to our profession — if it passes.

* 50% of a teacher’s rating will be based on state test scores.
(Currently it is 20%).
* 35% of a teacher’s rating will be based on the findings of an
outside “independent observer” who will conduct a one time visit to the
classroom. (This has never been done before. Currently our principal’s and
assistant principals’ observations count for 60%.)
* 15% of a teacher’s rating will be based on observations by the
principal or assistant principal. The very people who know our work best
will have the least input into our evaluation.
* 50% + 35% = 85% of our evaluations will be removed from the
hands of our community and placed in the hands of the state. And then,
using these numbers, any teacher who is rated ineffective two years in a
row can be fired. Principals may have no say in this.

What might this mean for our schools?

It might mean that standardized testing begins as early as kindergarten.
It might mean that standardized tests will be given in specials such as
art, drama and gym.

Also, many people are not aware that even in schools where children do well
on the standardized tests, many teachers do not. Teachers’ ratings are not
based on their students’ scores for the year, but whether their students
improved from one year to the next. For example, a student can get a four
on the test in both 3rd grade and 4th grade. However, if that student
answers only one fewer question correctly, she will not have demonstrated
the “added value” her teacher is expected to have instilled. Even though
she has mastered that grade’s content and even though it’s just one
question.

One or two wrong answers can make or break a teacher’s rating. This already happens, and if Governor Cuomo’s evaluation proposals come to pass, it may start to happen more frequently. As a result, quality teachers may be rated ineffective. If teachers are rated ineffective two years in a row, they may be fired. What might this mean for P.S. 87’s teachers? Realistically, many of us could be fired. Every year. And many more of us could be pushed away from the profession we love.

This is what forces teachers to do test prep even though we know that the
tests do not give an accurate picture of student learning or of the
effectiveness of teachers, and even though we know that teaching to the
test is bad teaching. These proposals may push many teachers to teach in
ways they know to be counterproductive. The P.S. 87 that we all love and
cherish, a school full of active and engaged learners, inquiry,
questioning, creativity, and joy in learning may cease to exist.

And what about the social and emotional toll these changes will inflict on
children? As teachers, we look at the whole child. We know how they exist
and operate within a community, and we strive to meet their emotional
needs. We want our students to become citizens of the world. Narrowing our focus to improve performance on standardized tests means losing sight of the whole child. We know the emotional toll this takes on children. The
genuine joy of learning disappears and is replaced with headaches,
stomachaches, and school avoidance. We do not want this for our students.
We didn’t go into teaching to spend hours, weeks and months on test prep.

We hope this is not the type of education you want for your children.

And that is not all. There is also Cuomo’s proposed “budget increase.”

The governor’s plan proposes to increase the state education budget to $1.1
billion only if the state legislature lifts the cap on charter schools and agrees to the proposed changes to teacher evaluations. If these terms are not met, the budget will be reduced to $377 million. Meanwhile, the state owes New York City public schools $2.5 billion following a 2006 Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit settlement. P.S. 87 is owed $2 million, which amounts to over $2,000 per student.

Voters should not have their school districts penalized for urging their
legislators to resist these changes.

We need your help, and we need it now. The education law is folded into the
state budget. It goes up for a vote on April 1st.

If you want to take action, here’s what you can do:

1. You can call, email, and/or send letters to your state senator<
https://www.nysenate.gov/senators>, your assemblyman<
https://assembly.state.ny.us/>, and the Governor<
https://www.governor.ny.gov/contact>. Go to https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
to find contact information. Governor Cuomo’s email address is
gov.cuomo@chamber.state.ny.us<https://gov.cuomo@chamber.state.ny.us/>.

2. Visit https://www.nyteacherletter.org/ and sign the letter to let
your legislator know you disapprove of the law.

3. Participate in the Protect our Schools citywide event. Before school
on Thursday, March 12, members of 87’s community plan to come together to protest Governor Cuomo’s proposals and show support for public schools. Stay tuned for more information.

4. Talk to your friends and family members and post the information on
Facebook.

5. Get the information out any way you can. We feel protective of what we have created at P.S. 87. We don’t want to take our community for granted. All that we have, all that we do together, is far too important and far too valuable to be taken away. Thank you, as always, for your energy, your support and entrusting us with your children.

P.S. 87’s Teachers