Assemblyman Dave McDonough (R,C,I-Merrick) today commented on Governor Cuomo’s decision to veto a bill that would have temporarily prohibited Common Core test scores from being counted toward teacher evaluations. McDonough was critical of the governor’s decision and said that without this legislation we are leaving teachers vulnerable to the confusing and arduous Common Core testing standards.

“Many of our teachers are still adapting to the new Common Core tests, and it is unfair that they will now be scored and evaluated partially on whether their students perform well on these tests,” McDonough said. “Our conference, along with Governor Cuomo, fought extremely hard during last year’s legislative session to make the implementation process better for teachers, and now, this legislation is being vetoed. Teachers are still tirelessly working to adapt to the new curriculum, and this bill would have helped teachers better position themselves and their students.”

McDonough’s comments come after Governor Cuomo chose to veto a bill late Monday night that would have temporarily prevented Common Core test scores from being counted on a teacher’s Annual Professional Performance Review. McDonough, along with many Minority Conference members from Long Island, were among the first to spearhead the APPLE Plan, a comprehensive legislation package that would have made changes to the implementation of the Common Core Standards.

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