CCC Testimony: Oversight: Education resolution and bills related to standardized testing, arts instruction and college savings plan information

Published November, 2013

CCC testified at a hearing related to standardized testing, measuring compliance with arts instruction requirements, and distributing college savings plan information to parents at the City Council Education Committee on November 25, 2013.

CCC’s testimony recognized the role standardized testing plays in the education system, but expressed concern that the emphasis on testing can be detrimental to students, teachers and schools.  CCC urged the City and State to use other additional methods to assess students, teachers and schools.

CCC testified that while we support the goal of Int. 925, which is aimed at increasing arts instruction by requiring DOE to track and report compliance in numerous ways, we are concerned that the proposed tracking requirements are too onerous for DOE.  CCC urged the City Council to work with DOE on other means to track arts instruction and to also ensure the measure of instruction includes music, dance and theater; to not only look at art instruction from 5^th– 12^th grade but also from grades pre-K-4; and to also track and report on physical education requirements.

CCC also testified in support of Int. #1091, which would require the Department of Education to create and distribute information about college savings plans to students. We suggested that the legislation be strengthened in several ways by amending it to shift the responsibility for creating the materials to another agency more focused on banking and saving (like the Department of Consumer Affairs) and to consider providing information about where parents can seek free counseling and answers and to distribute the materials to younger children in child care, Head Start and UPK.