Assemblyman Joseph M. Giglio (R,C,I-Gowanda) and the Assembly Minority Conference today offered a package of reform proposals to address the growing concerns regarding the implementation of Common Core. The APPLE Plan, Achieving Pupil Preparedness & Launching Excellence, addressed questions that were raised during open public forums hosted by Giglio and his colleagues across the state about policies affecting our children’s education and reforming education in New York.

“Today, we presented the APPLE Plan, which focuses on our children, schools and reforming education policy in New York State, particularly Common Core,” said Giglio. “After hearing loud and clear from many constituents who are rightly concerned that Common Core is having a negative effect on the education of their children, we believe the APPLE Plan is a great road map for reforming education policy going forward.”

The Common Core State Standards were established in 2009 and have been adopted by a consortium of 46 states and Washington, D.C. The final standards for mathematics, English, literacy in history, science and technical subjects were formally adopted in New York in 2010. Full implementation began during the 2012-2013 school year.

“People are passionate and concerned about the impact that the rushed implementation of this policy will have on their children’s education,” said Giglio. “I believe measures can be taken, such as those outlined in this plan, to ease the concerns that people have about Common Core. It is important that the State of New York gets this right, which certainly means that a modification of the implementation process of the Common Core Standards is in order.”

The APPLE Plan presents solutions to address critical issues in the areas of Curriculum, Teacher Support, Funding, Student Anxiety, Special Education and Data Collection, and concludes with two reform options recommended by members of the Assembly Minority Conference. Proposed solutions within the APPLE Plan include:

• Stopping the rushed implementation of the Common Core State Standards;
• Providing funding for professional development;
• Eliminating the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA);
• Reducing the over-reliance on student testing;
• Reasserting that an IEP is the supreme document for the education of a child with special needs; and
• Requiring that parents must consent to any disclosure of student information to a third party.

Details of the entire plan can be downloaded at the following link: bit.ly/educationalcrossroads.

“I believe it is important that school districts are given the flexibility necessary to provide the best possible education for each student,” said Giglio. “Even though it is important that we have standards for curriculum in our education system, a blanket system does not make sense as student needs and learning abilities vary widely. We must make a better effort to meet the needs of all students, and this plan accomplishes that.”