New York State Common Core Forums Cancelled

The New York State Parent Teacher Association scheduled a series of town hall forums to discuss the Common Core Learning Standards that teachers and students are adapting to across New York.

Low test scores on standardized state tests for grades three through eight last year, which were the first in New York based on the new standards, created concern among parents. Changes in the classroom this fall have added to those questions, which led to harsh criticism of New York State Education Department Commissioner John King during the first of the forums last Thursday at Spackenhill High School in Poughkeepsie. 

The remaining four forums were cancelled the next day. According to Dennis Tompkins of the NYSED, the decision was made jointly by King and the NYS PTA to suspend the forums and replace them with a "more productive format." Though the forums were cancelled, there will be future meetings of some kind regarding the Common Core. 

King said that special interest groups are dominating the forums. 

"I was looking forward to engaging in a dialogue with parents across the state," King said in a statement released by email Tuesday. "I was eagerly anticipating answering questions from parents about the Common Core and other reforms we're moving ahead with in New York State.  Unfortunately, the forums sponsored by the New York State PTA have been co-opted by special interests whose stated goal is to "dominate" the questions and manipulate the forum. 
 
"The disruptions caused by the special interests have deprived parents of the opportunity to listen, ask questions and offer comments.  Essentially, dialogue has been denied. My office will continue to work with the PTA to find the appropriate opportunities to engage in a real, productive dialogue with parents about our students and their education."


The advocacy group STOP Common Core in New York State issued a statement Monday called for King's resignation, disputing King's claim that it was special interests rather than concerned parents raising questions at last week's forum. The group's website and Monday's press release can be found here. 

"When it was the parents’ and teachers’ turn to speak, Commissioner King interrupted after each speaker, running down the clock so that fewer audience members would be able to speak," said Glen Dalgleish, one of the founder's of the group. "With only about 20 minutes to voice their concerns, the audience felt compelled to demand the commissioner to sit down, allow them to speak and listen."

The forums had been scheduled for Garden City Monday, Clifton Park Tuesday, Williamsville Oct. 24 and New Hartford Oct. 30, with none set for Rockland County or Westchester. King has since said that the environment at last week's forum did not allow for a productive discussion. 

New York State PTA President Lana Ajemian posted a detailed response to the situation on her blog Monday. The full text of the response can be found here. She said the town halls were set up as an opportunity to share information, allow the public to as questions and make statements. She said the protocol for the sessions was published ahead of time and knowing that people were upset about Common Core standards, they asked for a "respectful exchange," but that did not happen.

"The purpose of the Town Hall meeting was not to hold a protest rally, nor to provide a forum for insult, personal attack or overall disregard -- this disregard was not only between the audience and the commissioner, but between audience members themselves. Some asked to be allowed to hear responses while many out-shouted their ability to do so. Despite requests by the commissioner and the NYS to be courteous, disruptions continued and escalated."

One issue that inflamed the situation was the time taken by NYSED for a presentation and to answer questions presented in righting, which went on for an hour and 40 minutes of a session scheduled for two hours. Those wishing to make comments were given a little over 20 minutes, during which King stepped in to respond, drawing loud criticism from the crowd.

"During the statement period, the commissioner requested to respond to some comments to clarify inaccuracies," Ajemian wrote in her blog. "Those commenting felt this imposed on their time. The level of frustration was raise, precipitating more jeers and shouting from the audience and adding to an already hostile environment. It was not constructive or productive to continue.

"The decision to suspend the remaining forums was based on this experience as well as communications that ther would be more of the same, yet intensified, ahead."

Among the criticisms directed at King during Thursday's forum was that his own children attend a private school that does not have to adhere to the Common Core Learning Standards. A recording of the comments portion only from the forum is in this link on YouTube. (Editor's note: the YouTube video includes additional text on the screen that presents one side of the discussion). Jen Cotter, who has a son in second grade in the Pearl River School District, was among the parents at the forum last Thursday. She has expressed concerns about the content of the lessons, including religious references, and the difficulty of the work involved.She said her son is spending over two hours per night on homework. 

"I'm done. I don't want it in my school," Cotter said. "That's beside the fact that the curriculum that the teachers are supposed to be teaching isn't even done being created.

"I am learning a lot of things about the common core and the more I learn, the more upset and disgusted I get. I would like the schools to have the opportunity to choose if they would like to adopt the curriculum or not, so I have made it my goal to raise awareness where I can."

For more on the 2013 state assessments, read this report on Patch.