TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 • 36 DOE Tweaking Its Promotion Criteria More Weight Given To Student Work Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced changes to the Department of Education’s (DOE) promotion policy for students in grades 3-8 with standard promotion criteria. The proposed new policy, pending the approval of the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) next month, would go into effect this school year in order to comply with recent changes in state law and to allow educators to make decisions about the students they know best while maintaining high standards. “We have listened and worked closely with families, teachers and principals to establish a new promotion policy that complies with State law and empowers educators, takes the temperature down around testing, and keeps rigorous standards in place,” said Fariña. “This new way forward maintains accountability, but mitigates the unintended consequences of relying solely on a single test. Through a comprehensive evaluation of student work using multiple measures, our new policy is a step forward for students, parents, and schools.” “It's absolutely vital that students are ready to succeed in the next grade when they are promoted. The best way to do that, as the governor and legislature have affirmed, is to use multiple measures to make sure students are ready for promotion,” added State Education Commissioner John King. “We'll work together with NYCDOE to make sure all our students are on the path to college and career readiness.” Ten years ago, the DOE implemented a student promotion policy based on state exam scores. That approach, while intended to raise expectations for all students, often led to teachers “teaching to the test” and caused a great deal of anxiety in school communities. Going forward, instead of having student promotion from one grade to the next based solely on exam results, teachers and principals will now determine which students are at risk of not making sufficient progress based on a more comprehensive, authentic review of their classroom work in addition to their test scores. This shift to multiple measures represents another step toward aligning teaching with the more rigorous Common Core standards. This new approach will bring New York City in accordance with other districts in the state and with the recent changes to the state law. To develop the new policy, the DOE consulted with and gathered feedback from families, teachers, principals, and education advocates. Many identified that, under the current policy, a student’s body of work over the course of the entire year was overlooked in favor of a single, standardized exam. -SEE PROMOTION ON PG. 63- Woodside Scouts At F.H. Soap Box Derby Members of Cub Scout Pack 390 based in Woodside raced their Cub mobiles at the 2014 Pathfinder Soap Box Derby last weekend at Forest Hills’ P.S. 144. During the competition among fellow scouts, Jack McKnight finished in first. Pictured with the scouts are Maria and Marvin Jeffcoat and Catherina Cheung. The Pack 390 scout participants included Xavier Caba, Patrick Chraznowski, Cillian Connelly, Manny Jeffcoat, Jack McKnight, Patrick McKnight, Andrew Minchala, Joseph O’Sullivan, Michael O’Sullivan, Alex Ovanessian, Jayden Rosario, Isamu Russo and Kazuki Russo. Order Online @ BellaLenas.com 718.417.5100 Weekdays 11:30am-10:00pm / Friday 11:30am-11pm / Satruday 12pm to 11 pm / Sunday 12pm to 10pm 64-02 Fresh Pond Rd, Ridgewood, NY 11385 JOIN OUR WARM STAFF & FESTIVE ATMOSPHERE FOR EASTER DINNER: $10.00 OFF Any Check of $60 or more Limit One Per Table 6402 Fresh Pond Rd, Ridgewood, NY Cannot be combined with any other offers or gift certificates • Not Valid on Holidays Dine In Only ©Times Newsweekly - 2014 - BELALENA Everyday Italian with Old World Charm Choice of Appetizer: Shrimp Cocktail Polenta in 4 Cheese Cream Sauce with Asparagus Caesar Salad Stuffed Portabella with Sausage, Smoked Mozzarella and Pesto Choice of Pasta: Penne Vodka or Manicotta Choice of Entree: Lamb Shank Pork Osso Buco Filet of Flounder Francese Shrimp Scampi Chicken Francese or Parmigana Eggplant Parmigana Choice of Dessert $39.95 plus tax & gratuity ****** Special Kid’s Menu $12.95 ****** $5.00 OFF Any Delivery Order of $25 or more 6402 Fresh Pond Rd, Ridgewood, NY Cannot be combined with any other offers or gift certificates • Not Valid on Holidays
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