New Lebanon CSD is part of a consortium of local school districts led by Questar III BOCES that will receive $399,314 in grant funding to review and improve student assessment practices this school year.
Questar III received a “Teaching is the Core” grant from the New York State Education Department to work with Brunswick CSD, Cairo-Durham CSD, Catskill CSD, Coxsackie-Athens CSD, Hoosick Falls CSD, Hudson City SD, New Lebanon CSD, North Greenbush CSD, Rensselaer CSD, Tech Valley High School, and Wynantskill UFSD.
As part of this grant, each district will organize a review team comprised of teachers and administrators to identify and improve high-quality assessments. This grant will advance a priority of New York’s Commissioner of Education John B. King and the State Board of Regents to eliminate or modify locally adopted tests that are redundant or do not advance teaching and learning.
Through this process, districts will identify and implement performance-based assessments that can be used to measure student learning and school and educator effectiveness. This may include essay writing, completion of projects, real-world problem solving and conduct of experiments where students demonstrate knowledge and skills.
Districts will also establish a parent engagement program to share information concerning how parents can support learning at home and how assessments inform instruction and help children learn.
“Ultimately, high-quality assessments – and the feedback they provide to teachers, students and parents – are an integral part of excellent teaching and advancing student achievement,” said Questar III District Superintendent James N. Baldwin.