Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River) tonight voted in favor of a bill that would prevent teacher evaluations from being linked to Common Core testing results. Blankenbush believes this is a step in the right direction, but says there are many more areas that the legislature must address.

“From the very beginnings of its implementation, there were issues with the Common Core Standards which left our schools, educators and students unprepared for the new educational changes,” said Blankenbush. “By addressing even this one part, we are on our way to reforming the problems presented by Common Core, and I will not relent until each aspect is addressed in the legislature.”

Blankenbush, who hosted one of the 11 forums on the Common Core Standards, helped craft the Achieving Pupil Preparedness and Launching Excellence (APPLE) Plan which addressed the most pressing issues facing our educational system. Removing the link between teacher evaluations and standardized testing was one part of the plan.

The Assembly passed legislation that would delay Common Core testing in the 2014-15 Enacted Budget, but Blankenbush feels that was only a temporary solution to the larger problems facing New York’s educational system. The APPLE Plan, Blankenbush says, presents a more comprehensive set of solutions to reforming education in the state. The assemblyman has prioritized advocating for the passage of the APPLE Plan in the next legislative cycle.

A summary of the APPLE Plan can be found at tinyurl.com/nyappleplan.