I’ve been tossed out of nicer places by far better people…….

Today I had a second meeting with the NYS Education Committee chairman NYS Senator Carl Marcellino, Republican from the 5^th senate district, representing parts of Nassau and Suffolk county, but clearly not representing our children or parents. Let me explain.

I had met with him last year with a friend and prior to that meeting I had been warned by several people that Senator Carl Marcellino was a misogynist. That he marginalized women and was not a receptive listener. Last year, I was new to this game of asking politicians for things that are important to me, to be important to them. Last year, I brought him a picture of my daughter, I spoke softly and let him tell me how he had just been assigned to the education committee and he needed time to catch up, he needed to take advantage of a “learning curve.” He was courteous, friendly, pleasant, and appeared to listen and understand how urgent the diploma crisis is in NYS. And then he did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING with the information I brought him. He did not address the diploma crisis in any way, shape or form.

Fast forward to today, a friend wanted to meet with him. She has an idea that is different from other things we’ve discussed. I told her it was a waste of our time, I told her he isn’t a good listener, I told her he really doesn’t give a damn about our kids. But she needed to see for herself.

I have memorialized today’s meeting all over Facebook with this post.

“I experienced a first in my life today, I was tossed from a NYS senator’s office.

Senator Carl L. Marcellino (R) agreed to meet Rosemary Garofolo after she basically badgered them into answering an e-mail. (First rude thing) We met him at 11 in his office and from the moment he sat down it was clear he didn’t want to hear a word we said. He was ridiculously ignorant of what is going on in education, considering he is the EDUCATION chair. We discussed how NYS Grad requirements are absurd. We discussed the cut scores that render Regents exams a hysterically bad joke. He claimed that the reason we went to this policy (as a state) was because “better universities across the country were refusing to admit NYS students because we had no standards.” I challenged this remark, I told him I’d never heard such a thing and he sneered, “Well you learned something new today.”

He further opined that we just can’t hand out diplomas for attendance. (Condescending, mean spirited, ignorant) We said that isn’t what we are saying but he had absolutely no interest in listening to anything, PARENTS who reside in NYS had to say about EDUCATION. He also informed us that there are, “Thousands of jobs, that pay a living wage, for people without diplomas.” I told him that was untrue. In hindsight I wish I’d asked him for a list. And where that living wage would afford someone to LIVE. (Certainly not in one of the most expensive places in the US) Rosemary tried to explain why we were there but he kept interrupting. And then got angry when Rosemary pointed out that he wasn’t listening. And then he told us to, “Get out.” In my entire life I never thought I’d see the day that a PUBLIC SERVANT would be so rude, disrespectful, ignorant, self-serving or dishonest as NYS senator Carl Marcellino. He does not DESERVE TO SERVE.”

I thought about this all day today as I sat on the beach. I thought about how he knew absolutely nothing about what we were talking about. I thought about Newsday reporting on June 12 that 15,800 children, 1400 right here on Long Island completed 4 years of high school without receiving diplomas. I thought about him not even acknowledging that that is a problem. I thought about how cavalierly he threw out that bit about our kids not getting into better schools because we “didn’t have standards”. We have never not had standards, the stupidity of that comment alone is mind boggling. And THOUSANDS of jobs that don’t require a diploma and earn a living wage? I messaged him to ask for a list or data to substantiate the first piece of nonsense and a list of the second, since he basically said that people could live on a wage from a job that doesn’t even require a high school diploma. Is he even cognizant of how stupid that sounds?

I thought about how as we were leaving, after being told, “get out”, “now you can leave” him standing up and dismissing us, Rosemary was saying we won’t forget in November, telling him, “You’re done.” And him responding, “It’s been tried before.” Cockily, confident that he will remain in office and continue to ignore the needs of his constituents. I thought about how this will NEVER attract the attention of the News media, even though it should.

I was raised by hard working parents. My Dad respected people and especially women. I cannot fathom my dad, the consummate gentlemen tossing a woman out of his office, ever. I am not a fragile flower, I’m not cowed by bullies and Senator Marcellino today, exhibited his true colors, I could almost file a DASA complaint but he knows so little about schools he probably doesn’t know what that is either.

I was raised to love and respect our country. And I do. I consider myself a patriot. I vote. I follow politics. I pay attention. I love this country with all my heart. I believe in the processes of electing people to REPRESENT my interests. Whose interests does Senator Marcellino represent?

This is the vow he took when he was first elected in 1995:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the constitution of the United States, and the constitution of the State of New York, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of a NY Senator.

Then I was curious to know what the duties would be so I googled and this is what I found here, on the NYS Senate page https://www.nysenate.gov/about

The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature. Its sixty-three members represent New York State and its more than 19 million citizens. The legislature’s primary purpose is to draft and approve changes to the laws of New York.

These changes are driven by complex public policy issues. To effectively represent the will of the people, senators must gain a deep understanding of those issues and how they impact New Yorkers.

And I got hung up on that very last line, “To effectively represent the will of the people, senators must gain a deep understanding of those issues and how they impact New Yorkers. “

• EFFECTIVELY represent the will of the people
• Gain a deep understanding
• How they impact New Yorkers

I don’t think NYS Senator Marcellino could have failed more miserably today at the job he “solemnly swore” to do.

In this great republic we have the right to cast ballots and ask the very best of us to serve and represent public interests in Albany. Is this the best we have? I don’t think so. I think Senator Marcellino should be sent out to pasture. His callous disregard of our children and his disrespect of myself and Rosemary and by extension every other concerned parent in NYS makes him unfit to “effectively represent the will of the people.”

Please join us on Facebook at “Multiple Pathways to a Diploma for all” https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043046219053541/

#rememberinnovember #nopublicservant #diplomacrisis

The NYS ELA Regents as a Debacle

I haven’t blogged in quite a while. I have a lot to say but little time to sit down, write, edit, check facts, edit some more etc. Last night the memos regarding the NYS Regents meeting on Monday, June 13^th came out and as anticipated there is one that addresses graduation requirements for students with disabilities.

For those that don’t know, in New York,  ALL children enrolled in a traditional NYS public high school, must take Regents exams to get a diploma, except those that are alternately assessed. A very brief and incomplete explanation is that not too long ago, a student had a choice of a Regents or non-regents diploma. If they were unable to pass Regents exams they could still go on to productive lives and college and many have. Of course, in those days it was also assumed, accurately, that students would also go on to take civil service tests, join the military, go to vocational schools, learn a trade and in some cases get a job until they could decide what they wanted to be when they grew up. They were afforded the opportunities to try new things, spread their wings and figure it out. Today EVERY SINGLE STUDENT must take Regents exams regardless of ability, disability, dreams or ambitions. NYSED had made them a mandatory requirement of a diploma.

In recent months, many parents across the state have cried foul at this requirement. Parents recognize that all children are different. And some are simply not capable or interested in having a Regents diploma. NYS is one of only two that has this and colleges don’t care. It is not more prestigious or indicative of a work ethic or higher intellect. In fact, there is a ridiculous cut score in place to make sure the graduation rate stays flat and in my humble opinion a score of 30 does not indicate mastery of anything, how does that make a Regents test valid?

Yesterday the Regents released a memo in anticipation of Monday’s meeting that essentially says, all students with IEP’s must take five Regents exams, however now they can fail all the social studies ones and science ones (twice) then  can appeal for a waiver so their local district can assess mastery, disappointingly the math and ELA regents are still in place and must be passed. There are absolutely no allowances for children with 504’s or English language learners or children that have test anxiety or are simply differently abled. For students with language based disabilities the ELA Regents is an insurmountable boulder in their way and not because it is a fair test that accurately measures basic reading skills but because it is an overblown, self-important piece of ridiculousness intended to test tenacity and higher level reading skills more often associated with a child studying literature in college. (Heavy sarcasm in this statement)

I have been obsessing about the ELA Regents since, I downloaded and printed two, just for fun (ok, I know, I have no life) and they average around 20 pages each. In case you are unfamiliar with the format, and it has changed 4 times, this is the most current Common Core version; Part 1 consists of a “Reading Comprehension Passage A”, followed by 9 multiple choice questions. Then there is “Reading Comprehension Passage B” generally this is a poem, followed by 5 multiple choice questions, “Reading Comprehension Passage C” followed by 10 multiple choice questions. Part 2 is the argument writing. Students must read 4 texts, the criteria for this essay includes making a claim, distinguishing it from alternate or opposing positions, they must use evidence from three of the texts, the evidence must be annotated, in a formal style of writing following the conventions of standard English. On the January 2016 Regents the texts were on GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms, for the adults reading this blog that have no idea what that is). Just to give you an example of what they are asking our children to read and comprehend to get out of HIGH SCHOOL.

I am begging you all to go here and take a look at the Common Core aligned ELA NYS regents. http://www.nysedregents.org/hsela/home.html

I tossed and turned last night, thinking of the dozens of kids I know with speech and language impairments, dyslexia, autism, other learning disabilities and test anxiety, I thought about my daughter and her challenges and then this came to my mind.

She is sitting in a classroom next Wednesday. She went to bed early, she had breakfast, she has three or four newly sharpened, number two pencils with erasers. She has been coached and prepped in her self-contained, alternate program, ELA class for months. She is typically successful there and has been sharing her reading experiences this year with us at the dinner table, Shakespeare and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible to mention two. She seemed to get a great deal out of them through the many methods her highly qualified NYS teacher employed to make them accessible to a room full of children with reading and language difficulties but now she is on her own and there is no test with higher stakes than the one she MUST pass to get a diploma.

And so it begins, Caroline begins the first of 6 passages and a poem she will be required to read, comprehend and answer to. Almost immediately a word she is unfamiliar with comes up, she starts to panic, she started her academic career as speech and language impaired, she has never acquired language like other children and in fact we have been told she will struggle to communicate her entire life. Caroline continues to read but this is stuff she has absolutely no interest in and in fact has never heard of and there are DOZENS of vocabulary words she is unfamiliar with. It is hard to follow. She starts to sweat. She has ADHD too and shifts restlessly in her seat, she thinks, “Do I have enough pencils?” “What if I need to go to the bathroom?” She realizes she has drifted away from the text, she comes back but, “Oh my God, what is this about?” She resumes reading. She rereads what she has already read, she is confused, panic is setting in and her heart is racing. She thinks I will read it again; I’ll pay attention that time, I’ll figure out what these words mean. She is unaware that the reading passages are well above her reading level. The subject matter is sometime obscure and completely unrelated to her personal life experiences, almost as if they have deliberately decided to test a child’s ability to attend to something they couldn’t care less about. The questions ask her to decide the meaning of words in context, she knows what this means, she also knows this is difficult for her. She is asked to discern feelings based on what she has read and interpret what the author means.

The test is three hours long for general education students, for students with disabilities up to 6 hours. It can be read but they are not allowed to have a dictionary even though some passages are written from a historical perspective with words I have not encountered since college. It proceeds, throughout students are asked to read college level texts, to identify figurative language, metaphors, similes, idioms and colloquialisms. They are asked to classify the passages and define symbols. Irony and sarcasm is evident throughout.

I can read her mind, and many other students sitting for a minimum of three hours taking a test that is meant to confound and confuse them. It is mean spirited. It makes them feel stupid, inadequate and embarrassed. My daughter is thinking I must pass this test or I cannot leave high school. She is thinking I just want to get out, I hate high school, I don’t feel comfortable here.  The girls look at me funny. I want to be able to get a job. My mom knows a kid that took this test 6 times. She wants to cry. Maybe the girl sitting next to her already is. The boy in her class with autism and ADHD has left the room 4 times. He threw up. He wants to be a computer programmer, since he was little he has been exceptionally talented at technology. Writing? Not so much. Caroline is overwhelmed. She forgets the things her teacher so carefully coached her to do. She just wants it be over. By the time she gets to the argument writing she is exhausted, her head hurts and she is defeated and she still must read 4 additional passages, form an opinion, write it and defend it, properly. This is not a test of what my daughter can adequately read, it is a test of how much something can punish her before she quits.

I appreciate that it is important that children leave high school with the ability to read and write. But what level of ability? Will my daughter ever be called upon to write an essay like this in her life? I can say probably not. Will she need this skill to be an aide in a preschool, which is her dream? Our plans include BOCES for vocational training so she can be productive, make friends, and have something to do every day that makes her part of a community.

NYSED has drawn this line in the sand and determined by it that some children are simply not worthwhile. How dare people that have never met my daughter or her peers decide this? I asked a Regent yesterday if they had even seen the current NYS ELA exam and they responded, “Not in years.” and yet, on Monday they will agree that this test and the math Regents can be the determining factor of whether or not a child can go on from high school and be productive. I am outraged. I am scared. I cannot imagine how my daughter feels.

In NYS we need to acknowledge the exceedingly diverse population of students in our schools and their many gifts and talents. We need to enable them to be successful adults not put in place tests that are no arbiter of an ability to be a productive member of society. Our children deserve better. We must insist that the department responsible for educating ALL of NYS’s children does just that.

The Dead End

Last week they had junior orientation at my daughter’s high school. I attended this for my son. The guidance department shows a PowerPoint presentation on the things one must do as our children head into their junior year of high school in preparation for that culminating senior year. PSAT’s, ACT’s, student loans, the application process, early acceptance, scholarships, financial aid, and student resumes etc. A room full of parents that are excited and nervous. I remember that night for my son and feeling so proud and thinking of all the possibilities for him.

I didn’t go this time. My daughter’s possibilities are NOT endless. In fact they are significantly limited right now. And not because I don’t see her as a successful, participating member of society but because NYS doesn’t.

I would have gone. If there were something available for my daughter and her similar peers. I would have gone. I would have gone if NYS, instead of removing the only REAL safety net available to her through the RCT’s, had provided her with an alternate path to a high school diploma. If she, in fact, had been made college or CAREER ready. As things stand right now she will be neither of those things.

I recognize the need to raise the bar. I recognize the need to create accountability, to ensure that we are giving children the very best education we can. That we prepare the children in the United States for participation in a “Global World” (isn’t that a redundancy?) What I don’t get, is that in doing so, NYS has consciously neglected an entire population.

Since I wrote the petition on change.org, https://www.change.org/p/new-york-state-board-of-regents-reinstate-the-local-diploma-tied-to-rct-s, I have heard from hundreds of parents across NYS, they call to tell me about their child with a learning disability. They talk about the special gifts their children have. They talk about music, art, math, reading and writing. All typical subjects taught in high schools across our country. The difference is, often where this kind of child exhibits a talent in math, many times ELA is a mystery or a quagmire that they simply don’t get. Or they are gifted musicians with perfect pitch but writing is a nightmare. Who decided that people that exhibit a substantial talent at something but perhaps a limitation elsewhere are not worthy of a HIGH SCHOOL diploma? How is that permissible in a STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT?????

It reminds me of when a family member was very ill and I met with doctors, with them. Doctors that worked in world renowned hospitals and the one thing that was very noticeable about them was that they all seemed to have a spectrum disorder. They had trouble meeting my eyes, they had trouble with their bedside manner, they didn’t really understand or seem to grasp sarcasm or humor, they struggled to identify with their patients, but they were brilliant. Do I think they would be able to pass the current Common Core aligned ELA regents? In my humble opinion, no freaking way. But I think that level of commitment to one thing, (probably referred to as OCD in school) is necessary in their profession and an actual gift, to be able to eliminate extraneous noise or nonsense. But in those days Regents exams were an OPTION not the sole pathway to a diploma.

I wouldn’t care so much, I really wouldn’t except without that magic slip of paper my child and her likeminded peers cannot do anything. They cannot join the military, go to a community college, take a civil service test, or get an entry level job. They cannot even bag groceries at our local supermarket and believe me when I tell you, her dad and I see so many more POSSABILITIES for our girl and kudos to the baggers out there.

I don’t know how a department of EDUCATION reconciles this nearly elitist view point of education, some children are worthy, others not so much? In AMERICA???? Whatever happened to FAPE (free appropriate public education)? They are failing my daughter, they are failing thousands of children statewide, and they are also failing children that are not academically inclined, children that maybe don’t want to go to a 4 year college but see themselves fulfilling other, very real, very lucrative and viable dreams. And it makes me REALLY angry.

And then, it also makes me sad. My daughter deserves a junior orientation night. One that addresses her specific needs, she is entitled to that, just like every other high school junior. I have fought for a long time for her to see a long road of success and dreams in front of her instead of the big fat, “Dead End” sign NYS has thrown in her path. And again I say, “Shame on them.”