A note from the President: The article below ran in the April 29th Times Herald-Record as a response to an April 8th My View article by Board President Vincent Crescenzo. Mr. Crescenzo’s article may be accessed through www.recordonline.com —under ‘opinion’ and then ‘My View’ for the board president’s April 8th article entitled “Three years of progress helps students in Middletown.” Many members have asked that my article be re-printed for those who may not have seen it. The Times Herald Record entitled the article “Rosy view can’t change reality in Middletown schools.”
A recent “My View” editorial by Mr. Vincent Crescenzo, president of the Middletown Board of Education, contained a vast amount of information. Unfortunately, his broad brush painted an inaccurate picture and there are areas of blatant distortion in need of correction.
The convenient choice of a three year yardstick is not an accurate instrument by which to measure progress or success in this district. This type of measurement makes it appear that nothing of substance occurred in the years prior to the district’s current administration. This is simply not true. Board minutes from January 22, 2004 reflect Acting Superintendent McLeod’s comments regarding a September, 2005 opening for full-day kindergarten. The Academy of Finance has a long and very successful history in this school district and the seven AP courses are not new and creative additions to the high school course catalog, but have been offered for some time.
The board president’s article misleads the community and gives the impression that certain things are in place when, in fact, they are not. The high school auditorium and Library-Media Center have not been completed. To state that these new facilities are “state of the art” leads one to believe they are operational which is completely false. Neither has opened and we are now in the final weeks of school. It is an atrocity that our high school students have been deprived of both a Library-Media Center and an auditorium. This is not progress. The duplicity and illusion that everything is fine and the students’ needs are being met is nothing but a total disservice to the Middletown community.
Another disservice is stating that that the gifted and talented program “has been expanded to the elementary level.” This would imply that a gifted and talented program is in place somewhere in the district. Not true. What is currently being put into place at the elementary level (in lieu of a true gifted and talented program) is an “enrichment and challenge” English Language Arts block of time. Long gone are the days when this district had a thriving gifted and talented program and virtually every building had an Odyssey of the Mind Team.
This fall, Project Lead the Way, a pre-engineering sequence through Rochester Institute of Technology, will be made available to eligible incoming freshman. It is nothing short of misleading to report that the district “provides” such an opportunity. Again, the implication is that something is in place when that simply is not true.
While it is true that the district has a professional development committee, with a teacher majority (as per New York State Education Law), it is not accurate to write that teachers plan the professional development and advise the superintendent. Both would be quite welcome and given the opportunity to do we would certainly be willing and active participants!
The district-developed comprehensive system of assessment has added yet another layer of testing to our already overly-assessed students. Appropriately developed and judiciously implemented testing is a necessary component in monitoring student achievement and planning for instruction. However, the data driven univision employed by the district deprives our children of a full and enriching academic experience. Quarterly exams, beginning in kindergarten, have been placed atop other mandatory district and state tests. Teachers, many of whom have been told they must follow a strictly developed scope and sequence, or use only clearly delineated materials, have been systematically stripped of professional autonomy. The opportunity to seize a teachable moment, or expand a lesson by utilizing materials other than the ones prescribed by the district, have become like endangered species. The art of teaching has been virtually eliminated and the science of instruction has taken its place.
We all recognize the diversity of our student population and we know the challenges our students face on a daily basis. The teachers of this district are paying attention. We cannot allow broad and misleading statements to inaccurately portray the reality our students and teachers face on a daily basis.
Our school community needs the involvement of the people living within it. This is your school district; this is our school district. Knowledge is power and the key to success. Become knowledgeable—ask questions, visit schools, listen to information and then verify it for yourself. Be visible! Attend Board of Education meetings. Become an active participant. Most of all continue to be advocates in support of our students!
By: Sheila E. Esposito, President of the Middletown Teachers Association
