According to NPR, Education Commissioner Mary Ellen Elia is “hoping to contain a movement that led 20 percent of students to boycott the third-eighth grade standardized tests last spring,” and in order to respond to parent concerns is shortening the Common Core-aligned tests and giving teachers more input.  New York State has also ditched the much-maligned Pearson in favor of an independent vendor called Questar. That should work, huh?

Not so much. Here’s Cal Korn of the New York State Teachers Union:

“The commissioner is missing the point, it appears that  she hasn’t been listening to parents,” Korn said. “The best way and the only way to have parents opt in from state tests is to de-link them from teacher evaluations.”  

And Lisa Rudley. spokeswoman for  opt out group New York State Allies for Public Education. says.
“It’s window dressing. We really need legislative change to have the test scores de-coupled from the teacher evaluations.”

All about the kids. Right.