LI schools plan new tests for spring

Dozens of Long Island school districts are joining in an unprecedented effort to write and administer regional exams this spring in place of tests recently canceled by Albany - a project potentially serving tens of thousands of students.

The planned new exams - to be provided free to schools - would replace eight tests the state recently canceled in a cost-cutting move. Canceled tests include those in fifth- and eighth-grade social studies and middle-school foreign languages, as well as high-school Regents exams in German, Hebrew and Latin. The format of the new test will be similar to the previous exams but not in all cases identical. The test questions will be written and edited by teachers and supervisors.

Students passing the new foreign language tests would get credit toward graduation under new regulations adopted by state Regents earlier this week.

The state continues to sponsor federally mandated English and math tests in grades 3-8, as well as Regents exams in 13 subjects including U.S. history, global history, Spanish, French and Italian.

Nonetheless, local school supervisors of foreign languages and social studies contend their subjects are being downgraded in favor of math and English.

"What they're doing is incredibly irresponsible," said Francesco Fratto, foreign languages director for the Half Hollow Hills district. "If we leave this up to local school districts, it's going to be a mess."

Instead, Fratto and other foreign language supervisors are signing up districts to use regionally developed tests in June. Fratto, who is spokesman for the Foreign Language Association of Chairpersons and Supervisors of Long Island, says 62 districts have agreed to participate so far, and that more are expected to join.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Long Island Council for the Social Studies, say they've enrolled about 40 districts so far in another joint effort aimed at providing regional tests in their subjects. The Island comprises 124 districts.

"We don't want social studies to die in the state of New York," said Brian Dowd, Massapequa's social studies supervisor and the council's co-president.

State education authorities say they regret the cancellations but have no choice, given the current economic crunch.

At a regional conference in Dix Hills Wednesday, John B. King Jr., the state's senior deputy education commissioner, told an audience of about 100 school superintendents and others that he was hopeful state lawmakers next year would give his agency an extra $15 million required to continue current tests and restore some of those canceled this year. However, he repeated earlier warnings that his agency might have to cancel more tests next year or charge districts fees if it doesn't get the money. Albany lawmakers say they won't start considering funding requests until after Jan. 1.

Academic experts give high marks to volunteer organizers of regional tests, in an area more accustomed to local control. Still, those experts say no regional effort can entirely replace the sort of uniform testing standards provided by Albany.

"I think we'd be better off if the state continued to meet its responsibility," said Alan Singer, a professor of secondary education at Hofstra University. "But if it doesn't, the districts have to move in, and I think this is a positive step."