NYSRA Statement to the 2000 Regents legislative Conference

Statement of the New York State Reading Association to the New York State Board of Regents 2000-2001 Legislative Conference September 13, 2000

Overview

The New York State Reading Association is a professional organization comprised of over 6,000 reading teachers, classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, administrators, parents and others interested in reading skills development. We welcome this opportunity to present our recommendations to the New York State Board of Regents relating to legislative and budgetary initiatives for the 2001 Legislative Session.

Much progress has been made in recent years, including adoption of the new learning standards and increased graduation requirements, dramatic changes in teacher preparation and certification criteria, as well as substantial increases in education funding in critical areas such as professional development, academic intervention, standards implementation, summer school programs and learning technologies. We believe that the results to date substantiate the importance of such investments. As we accelerate the implementation of new Regents exam requirements, it will be important to target resources to assist children who are in need of academic support, while at the same time ensuring that students in all districts are treated equitably. We need to further concentrate our efforts on perfecting our approaches to emerging strategies, including early childhood education programs, state-funded summer school opportunities, changes in special education processes, programs and classifications, and preventative services for students at risk of not attaining standards.

The Regents have taken an aggressive lead in advancing changes affecting the performance of our schools and the preparation of future teachers who will prepare our young people for tomorrow's world. This effort must be supported by a commitment of new funding and a strategic redirection of existing resources. As this process unfolds, it is important that the Regents, the Governor and the Legislature take into account the need for a commitment to an adequate and stable funding base, increased emphasis on professional development, parental and teacher involvement in learning, local discretion, and flexibility in meeting needs of children from diverse backgrounds and differing needs. We also must promote stronger collaborations between teacher preparation institutions and elementary and secondary schools.

There has been much debate over the approaches and teaching strategies that should be utilized to increase the reading competency of our students. Parents, business leaders, legislators and others have made reading attainment a celebrated cause, and rightfully so. Reading is, indeed, the cornerstone for all learning. When we succeed in teaching a child to read, we increase exponentially his or her capacity to learn. Conversely, failing to prepare children to read leads to diminished capacity to learn, school failure, and lack of future employment opportunities.

In line with this point, the New York State Reading Association has consistently argued that the learning needs of students are served best a comprehensive approach to reading skills development. Such an approach does not rely on one-size-fits-all strategies, but brings to individual students the services and strategies that respond to their own learning abilities and styles. Moreover, a comprehensive reading program develops students' skills on a broad range of levels, from simple word recognition to comprehension to more sophisticated analytical applications. This broad application is necessary to enable students to attain the proficiency needed to perform in accordance with the Regents standards and the 4th and 8th Grade ELA assessments. The New York State Reading Association believes that there is a need for stronger commitments to early reading intervention programs, reading curricula clearly aligned with State standards, increased reading abilities for the majority of students, and more intensive instruction in writing and listening skills. This kind of commitment can be carried out most effectively by providing adequate funding to school districts and by ensuring an sufficient supply of certified reading teachers to meet the needs of our students. A major emphasis must be placed on professional development programs which rely on research-based best practices.

Our recommendations to you for this 2000 Legislative Policy Conference are based on the above observations and philosophies. Accordingly, we offer the following points for your consideration and discussion as you prepare your legislative priorities for the year ahead.

Ensuring Qualified Teachers for Reading Skills

The introduction of the Academic Intervention Services initiative raises a new concern for certified Reading Teachers in the State. We are encouraged by the efforts of the Education Department to ensure that certified reading teachers are providing reading interventions for special education students with reading deficiencies, as well as to students identified as needing English Language Arts intervention. However, we are overwhelmed with the attempt to provide "AIS" services to Special Education students in addition to their IEP-defined Special Education Programs.

Sustained Commitment to Funding of "LADDER" Initiatives

The introduction of the programs supported by the "LADDER" initiative -- while categorical in nature -- has provided incentives for many school districts to begin instituting changes that have been discussed for years and never fully implemented. We know that the quality and breadth of early childhood education forms the very foundation upon which all other learning is based, thereby making it vital to the educational process. The LADDER programs form a core around which significant change can occur in our early childhood preparation efforts in New York State. As such, commitments made in 1997 for future funding must be honored for the near future until these objectives are woven into the fabric of all our schools and classrooms.

Accordingly, the New York State Reading Association urges the Regents to ensure that funding commitments made in 1997 that applied to outyears through 2002 are honored by the State of New York. This will mean significant new funding for universal pre-kindergarten, institution of full-day kindergarten programs, appropriate decreases in early grade class sizes, the acquisition of current and useful new textbooks and learning aids, and the replenishment of our school libraries. All these are crucial to the potential for greater success in our schools. Additionally, monies must be targeted to support academic intervention services, before and after school programs, and summer school.

Moreover, as the life of those multi-year commitments comes to an end, we must consider ways to re-commit ourselves to such funding strategies and levels. We cannot simply walk away from the needs of children in our classrooms and must find a way to accomodate their needs through a sustained effort over the next several years. These programs include: early grade class size reduction, full-day kindergarten, universal pre-kindergarten, textbook aid and others, the benefits of which have now begun to be felt across the state.

Substantialy Increase Standards-related Aid

Over the past several years, there has been a gradual increase in the funds available through Educationally Related Support Services Aid. These funds, intended to allow students to receive the classroom-based assistance they need to succeed in a general education setting, are an important part of a school district's ability to achieve the new learning standards and to lessen the reliance on special education services.

It is important that funding for ERSSA/AIS Aid be increased substantially, especially in the short-term as districts attempt to work throught the new mandates established for special education students and programs, as well as students identified as needing Academic Intervention Services. School districts will need ample resources to establish, pilot and refine programs and services that will address the goal of educating students within the general education setting. Many districts are finding inclusion to be more costly than previous self-contained special education settings.

Accordingly, the New York State Reading Association recommends that the Regents include an increase of at least $40-50 million in its request for the 2001-2002 state budget for this aid category, and project necessary increases over the following three years to encourage school districts to plan ahead for such services into their curricula and facilities for the long-term.

Increase Operating Standards Aid and Establish a Funding Floor

One of the most useful innovations in school aid in recent years has been Operating Standards Aid which provides districts with discretionary funding they can use for activities, materials and services related directly to increasing school and student performance.

It is important that this funding stream be continued and enriched over the next several years as part of the overall effort to improve school performance. While it may become necessary in the future to decrease the reliance of school districts on this funding for regular school services, in the short term it provides essential incentives for professional development, creative programming, research-based best practices, and curriculum development.

The New York State Reading Association encourages the Regents to support continuation of this aid and to enrich it by at least $150 million in the coming year, sustaining it at this proposed new level for at least the next three years. This will enable school districts to mount credible and workable programs and to plan with some confidence in their school budget processes for services and funding in the outyears.

In addition, it is important that this funding be substantial enough to make a difference in a school district's planning and management. Allocations of $10,000 or $20,000 will make no lasting or significant difference in how a school district manages its educational programs. For this reason, the New York State Reading Association urges the Regents to consider recommending to the Legislature a reasonable funding floor on Operating Standards Aid that will create a positive incentive for school districts to implement change and innovation.

Increase Aid To All Districts To Promote Comprehensive Professional Development

NYSRA believes strongly that professional development and continuing education are among the most vital investments the State can make in support of the new standards and graduation requirements. The State must continue to increase investments in professional development, and must refine the planning process leading to the implementation of these new professional development planning recommendations as advocated by the Regents Task Force on Teaching.

Moreover, as funds are allocated, consideration must be given to the needs of ALL districts for financial assistance during this period of transition and adaptation. Funds cannot be strictly targeted to "high need" areas....the need in this arena is high for all districts to comply successfully. The State must also be prepared to ensure that local districts are using this additional Standards Implementation Aid to support higher academic achievement as opposed to simply using these additional funds to augment general operating aid.

The New York State Reading Association urges the Regents to provide increased funding for professional development activities and recommends an increase of at least $5 million over the level of funding available in 2000-2001 and in each of the years 2001-2002 and 2002-2003.

Require All Elementary And Middle Schools In New York State To Have School Libraries As our State focuses increasingly on the importance of reading skills and literacy in the overall educational process, it is difficult to rationalize the fact that many of our schools do not have a school library. Access to a school library is one of the most important features of a "good" school. The school library is where a child first experiences finding his or her own book to read. The school library is the place where a first research paper is completed with on-line source documents, encyclopedias, web pages, and periodicals. To deny any of our children access to such a resource and such an source of enrichment is to deny them a major part of their educational life.

For this reason, the New York State Reading Association urges the Regents to make an important policy stance in calling for the availability of and access to school library services in EVERY school in the State. We understand that this is not something that can happen overnight, but believe that it must begin now with the understanding that it will be accomplished in a defined future. Moreover, it is essential that all elementary, middle and high school libraries be staffed by a certified school library/media specialist. These comments and recommendations are consistent with the Regents proposals being discussed in the Library-related discussion session during the Legislative Conference.

School library aid will be needed to help school districts with the investments necessary to achieve this objective. The Regents should request at least a doubling in school library materials aid over the next three years beginning with a $20 million increase for the 2001-2002 school year.

Provide Additional Funding For Summer Reading Intervention

There is a sizable need for school districts to implement or expand on summer remediation programs and to make these services available not only to failing students, but also to marginal students who require additional attention and assistance in order to achieve the learning standards.

This type of assistance allows many students to maintain skills they learned throughout the regular school year and to strengthen their foundations in areas in which they may be at risk. This kind of "year-round" learning is vital to the potential for the Regents standards. It will be important to provide funding enrichment for school districts to defray the costs of expanding on summer offerings.

Many proposals have arisen in recent years that would focus such funding and support programs on students who are not successful on the 4th grade English Language Arts tests. This is too late! It is important to begin to assist students in the earlier grades to ensure that the majority of students can read on grade level by the end of Grade Four. We would support a program that provides avenues for reading instruction and literacy enrichment in the earlier grades in addition to summer school programs supported with state funds.

The New York State Reading Association urges the Board of Regents to include and enrich funding for enriched early grade remediation and summer programming in our schools and to include resources for such support systems as transportation aid for bringing increased numbers of students to our schools for summer learning activities.

Provide Funding For "NOVEL" and Related Library Program

The New York State Reading Association is pleased to state its support for the overall effort of the Regents and the Education Department in designing the NOVEL (New York OnLine Virtual Electronic Library) system, which will deliver reliable electronic library resources to all New Yorkers. Moreover, we are encouraged by the Regents commitment to ensuring libary services to children in all of the schools in our State. Learning and reading development are nurtured and promoted through access to libaries and library materials. All students, regardless of geography, are entitled to access to these valluable treasures. In addition, we support the Regents and Education Department directions to invest in the infrastructure and capacity of our public libraries. This is important to ensuring the presence and relevance of libraries in our cities and our rural areas.

In relation to the development of library districts that will help ensure broad access to library resources in poor, isolated and rural areas, we are supportive of any effort that will benefit the reading public gain appropriate access to library materials. However, we would caution that such systems can sometimes evolve as distant and difficult to use simply because of their size and the logistics attached to their use. A user-friendly system would be most important to ensure optimal usage by the general public.

We are interested in pursuing ways in which these proposed advances and enrichments of the state's library system can be integrated with efforts to enhance the learning potential of our students and the resources available to our teachers to assist students in achieving that potential.

Increase Funding For Adult Literacy Education As A Priority Of SED

Reading among family members --adults and children-- greatly supports the reading skills development of our school children and enables them to attain the higher standards for which the Regents are striving. With nearly 40% of all adult New Yorkers at reading levels below the fourth grade level, it is crucial that we address the literacy level of adults, particularly those who need to interact with their school-aged children on an educational level. Clearly, investments in adult literacy education have significant returns in the community, the workplace, in the family and in the classroom.

The New York State Reading Association calls on the Board of Regents to make adult literacy a priority focus for the Department and to clearly commit itself and the Department to seeking adequate funding for services and programs that help us attain increased adult literacy levels. NYSRA supports increases for the Adult Literacy Education program (ALE) to a level of at least $5 million in 2001-2002. ························· The New York State Reading Association will prepare additional and more detailed comments and recommendations in response to the specific questions discussed during the Regents Legislative Policy Conference. The New York State Reading Association is eager to work with the Regents and the Commissioner in advancing programs and initiatives that enable our children and adults to read, to learn, and to attain higher standards. We appreciate this opportunity to share our recommendations and concerns.

Roz Shaw Maureen Goodwin
President Government Affairs Chair