In a speech on April 10 at New York University's Wagner School with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in the audience, New York State Education Commissioner John King staunchly defended the implementation of the Common Core Learning standards and the new tests aligned with those standards. He argued that the tests were fair and that there was no reason to postpone using them to judge students or teachers. "Some have proposed a delay of two or three years — with no consequences for teachers or principals when students aren’t making progress," King said. Commissioner King also announced three new initiatives: (1) a $16 million grant program called Teaching is the Core to evaluate local testing and eliminate unnecessary tests; (2) a plan to borrow classroom teachers from across the state to help shape the state's Common Core curriculum and instructional supports; and (3) a challenge to local administrators and union leaders to build more time into school schedules for collaboration and professional development.

In response, UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued the following statement:

In the face of statewide outrage from parents, administrators and teachers about the flawed rollout of the Common Core standards, Commissioner John King stood up today and blamed everyone else for the fact that it didn't work.

The Commissioner and the Regents still need to take a serious look at what went wrong and why. They should be embarrassed that the state Legislature had to step in and do the work they should have been doing.

The Commissioner's latest proposals — classroom teachers working to improve Common Core curriculum, less testing for students and more professional development for teachers — are all ideas we and others have advocated for years. Quite frankly, the Commissioner should have jumped on those ideas three years ago.