Assemblyman David DiPietro (R,C-East Aurora), a sponsor of Assembly Bill 3656, better known as the APPLE Plan, and a vocal opponent of the Common Core high-stakes testing model, voiced his displeasure with the Assembly Majority killing the legislation in the Assembly Committee on Education. The bill would have provided a two-year moratorium on Common Core testing along with a host of other reforms.

“All over the state, we had thousands of concerned parents opt out of the Common Core testing, and still, the Assembly Majority clings to its failed education model,” DiPietro said. “Our children, parents, teachers and schools deserve better. This bill would have eradicated the Gap Elimination Adjustment, increased BOCES funding, ensured IEPs are followed properly, and put a stop to Common Core testing for two years as the program was properly vetted and studied. Our children do not deserve to be put through a social experiment. Let’s do what works. Let’s return control of our schools and our education system to our own school boards and teachers. They’re our neighbors, they know what they’re doing, and we trust them.”

DiPietro is also a sponsor of Assembly Bill 6025, better known as the Common Core Parental Refusal Act, which shields students, teachers and schools against any penalty for refusing the Common Core tests. The bill also ensures parents are made aware of their right to refuse the testing. The bill currently awaits action in the Assembly Committee on Education.