Assemblyman David DiPietro (R,C-East Aurora) will host a New York State Assembly Minority Forum on Education in Elma on Saturday, March 29, 2014 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Iroquois Middle School, 2111 Girdle Road. He will be joined by local educators, government officials and parents.

In response to concerns from parents and students, some of the topics to be covered include reactions to the new education standards, the effects of the new testing associated with Common Core instruction time and the approach of classroom teachers. The opinions, ideas and concerns expressed will help the Assembly members strengthen education in New York.

“I am holding this Common Core forum because it’s essential to hear exactly what this program is doing to our children, our communities and schools,” DiPietro said. “I want to take these stories back to Albany and, once again, make our schools the envy of the nation. Our children’s education is too important to be left to the social experiment known as Common Core.”

As students, teachers and school districts brace for another round of Common Core testing in April, members of the Assembly Minority Conference reinforced the pressing need for comprehensive education reform through their “Achieving Pupil Preparedness & Launching Excellence (APPLE) Plan.” In January, members unveiled the APPLE Plan, which contains solutions that address critical issues in the areas of Curriculum, Teacher Support, Funding, Student Anxiety, Special Education and Data Collection, and concludes with two reform options recommended by members of the Assembly Minority Conference. Proposed solutions within the APPLE Plan include:

• Stopping the rushed implementation of the Common Core State Standards;
• Providing funding for professional development;
• Eliminating the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA);
• Reducing the over-reliance on student testing;
• Reasserting that an IEP is the supreme document for the education of a child with special needs; and
• Requiring that parents must consent to any disclosure of student information to a third party.

Previous forums were held in Akron, Baldwinsville, Binghamton, Brentwood, Corning, Lowville, New Hartford, Old Westbury, Pine Bush, Rochester, Staten Island, Troy, and Wappingers Falls. A report on education reforms can be viewed at bit.ly/educationalcrossroads. For additional copies of the report, please contact the Assembly Minority Office of Public Affairs at 518-455-5073.