June 8, 2004

THE SED IS PURPOSELY MISLEADING YOU!

FALLACY #1:
Consortium schools are dumping grounds for minority students.

THE TRUTH:
What an insult to all the students and parents who choose Consortium schools! There’s a reason these schools have long waiting lists: they not only serve more diverse populations than most New York City schools, but have lower dropout rates and higher college-bound rates as well.

FALLACY #2:
Consortium schools have poor track records—look at their stats.

THE TRUTH:
The SED distorts Consortium schools’ dropout and graduation rates by including 16 non-member NYC schools—schools that are not only low-performing but Regents-based! (In New York State there are 28 Consortium schools.)

Consortium schools outperform Regents schools; they send more students on to college (87.8% compared with 70.1%) and have a significantly lower dropout rate (10.6% compared with 20.3%). Significantly although only 15.6% of students entering Consortium schools meet state standards in English, they ultimately outperform their Regents’ counterparts on the English Regents 77.4% to 72.7%!

FALLACY #3
Developing a performance-based system of assessment is very expensive. New York State would need to spend $7.9 million to develop and $5 million a year to maintain them.

THE TRUTH:
We do not need to reinvent the wheel—several states have already developed performance assessments that meet NCLB requirements. The Consortium also has a sophisticated system. Experts stand ready to help NY State add flexibility to its accountability system. Costs are minimal particularly when the savings from lower dropout rates are factored in.

FALLACY #4:
No one can prove anything about how Consortium students do in college. There aren’t any data.

THE TRUTH:
An independent study of 667 Consortium graduates, now in its third year, has gathered data based on official college transcripts. The study shows that Consortium graduates attend and remain in college longer and earn higher GPAs than the national average.

FALLACY #5:
Performance assessment is inherently unreliable because it depends on subjective scoring by teachers.

THE TRUTH:
Just like the Regents exams, performance assessments are scored by teachers. Unlike the Regents exams, external assessors review student performance. Oversight for the entire system is provided by the Performance Assessment Review Board, an external body of nationally recognized experts in curriculum, instruction, and psychometrics.

FALLACY #6:
Passing standardized paper and pencil tests is the best single indicator for how well students will perform in the real world.

THE TRUTH:
The demands of the real world are complex—assessments should be, too. Would you want paper and pencil tests to assess the performance of people:

• driving on interstate highways?
• performing surgery?
• running your campaigns?

FALLACY #7:
Consortium schools are simply opposed to any exam.

THE TRUTH:
Consortium students take lots of exams: content-based class exams, SATs, Advanced Placement exams, exams in the college courses they attend for college credit while still in high school. These, plus demonstrated proficiencies in English, social studies, science, math, creative arts, foreign language, and service learning determine their graduation.

It is clear that the SED is making deceptive statements.
The SED should tell the truth.