Assemblyman David DiPietro (R,C-East Aurora) today joined educators, local officials and parents at a New York State Assembly Minority Forum on Education at Iroquois Middle School in Elma. The event focused on ways to improve education in New York, protect our students from unnecessary testing and make sure each student is given the quality education they deserve.

“Forums like these are essential to understanding how radically the Common Core curriculum affects our children and schools,” DiPietro said. “I’m glad so many parents, teachers, and community members were able to join us on a Saturday afternoon. As a community, we must continue to work together to undo the damage of the social experiment known as Common Core.”

In response to concerns from parents and students, some of the topics covered included reactions to the new education standard, the effects of the new testing associated with Common Core instruction time and the approach of classroom teachers, especially as students, teachers and school districts are bracing for another round of Common Core testing in April.

In January, members of the Assembly Minority Conference unveiled the “Achieving Pupil Preparedness & Launching Excellence (APPLE) Plan” to address critical issues in the areas of Curriculum, Teacher Support, Funding, Student Anxiety, Special Education and Data Collection. The Assembly Minority Conference is advocating for common-sense solutions to the flawed rollout of Common Core, and the APPLE Plan provides concrete and specific solutions to fix those problems. Further, DiPietro has co-sponsored legislation (A.08844) to halt student testing until a Blue Ribbon Commission can determine the full impact of the implementation of the Common Core Standards.

Recently, members of the Assembly Minority Conference launched the Children Before Politics initiative, aimed at providing parents, students, teachers and administrators with the necessary information to make the best decisions regarding New York’s children. Visit the Children Before Politics website and view a copy of the APPLE Plan here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/201479293/At-the-Educational-Crossroads.

The Elma event was the fourteenth forum hosted across the state. For more information, please contact the Assembly Minority Office of Public Affairs at 518-455-5073.