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February 2013
Dear Parents,
When I visit our schools, I always enjoy meeting
with
and talking to our students.
T
his
school year, I
am
seeing
students read more difficult books
and spend more time writing.
When students shar
e
their opinions, teachers are
asking them to use evidence to back up
their points
. In math class, students are solving real
-
world problems.
These changes are part of the new Common Core standards
, which
describe what
all of our
students from pre
-
kindergarten to 12
th
grade need to kno
w and be able to do
to
graduate from high school ready for college and
careers. These standards
are
challeng
ing
, and
that’s
on purpose
. To qualify for
good
jobs in the 21
st
century, our
students need to develop strong writing, problem
-
solving, and creative
skills.
T
he Common Core standards
, with
support from you at home,
will help us get there.
This spring, for the first time, students in grades 3
-
8 will take State reading and math tests based on these higher
standards. Tests for high school students will
begin to change next school year.
We expect these new tests to be
more difficult to pass, at first. But this change is important.
It’s going to help our schools
broaden
students
options
for
the future.
S
tudents, t
eachers
, and parents
need to understand wh
ere students are on the path to graduating
prepared for college and a good job. With time and hard work, I have full confidence that
our students
will
rise to
the challenge.
You may be wondering if this change will affect how students are promoted to the
next grade and admitted to
screened schools. Though the State is introducing new tests this year, New York City will align promotion
standards to the Common Core over time. In past years, decisions about summer school were made based on
estimates of each
student’s performance level on the State tests
:
1, 2, 3, or 4. This year, because the tests are new,
we cannot predict how the State will determine performance levels. Instead, we will look at students’ overall
scores
how many questions each student got ri
ght. Students with the lowest scores will be recommended for
summer school. Some students with disabilities and English language learners have different promotion standards
,
given their unique needs
. We expect that the number of students attending summer s
chool will be similar to last
year
. T
he students who need the most help will still receive the most support.
Likewise
, students who earn the
highest scores
even if those scores are lower than in
past
years
will still have access to screened middle and
high
schools.
Over the next few weeks,
I encourage you
to
speak with your child about the
new
tests.
R
eassure
him or her
that a
score that is different from past years
will not
mean that
your child
is
n’t learning or working hard enough
. The
new
standards
are
a big change for our students and our teachers
, and
teachers
ha
ve been working hard to support
students
during
the
transition
.
Fully
adjust
ing
will take time
. But I believe in our students and teachers, and I know
we will get there
.
R
esources
to help you
learn more about these changes
are available
online. V
isit
nyc.gov
and search for “Common
Core
Parent Resources
.
I am also asking
teachers and principals
to talk with
their school communities
over the
coming weeks
about thes
e
new assignments and tests
.
I encourage you to attend upcoming parent
-
teacher
conferences to learn more.
Thank you for your commitment to your child’s education.
Sincerely,
Dennis M. Walcott