Jacobs seeks transparency from education commissioner on learning loss in NYS

Press Release, Congressman Chris Jacobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) led Congressmembers Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Joe Sempolinski (NY-23), Lee Zeldin (NY-01), and Claudia Tenney (NY-22) in calling for New York State Department of Education Commissioner Betty Rosa to release 2021-2022 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics assessment data.

Traditionally, the state has released this data in August before the start of the next school year. However, this data for the previous school year have yet to be made public.

“Around the country assessments are showing us Covid-19 caused detrimental learning loss in our students,” Jacobs said. “School closures, quarantines, and remote learning left many students behind and widened the achievement gap – especially for students from traditionally disadvantaged populations.”

“A portion of American Rescue Plan Funding has been allocated to New York school districts to address learning loss, yet in true NYS government fashion, we have yet to get transparent answers on the state of our students’ assessments,” Jacobs said. “As we work to begin our long road to academic recovery, we need a full and accurate picture of the loss that occurred in NYS students – the Commissioner must release this data immediately so academic plans can be formed and implemented effectively and expeditiously.”

“Albany needs to immediately release the standardized test scores for the entire state. There is no good excuse to delay this a day longer, and the further the state stalls, the more suspicious New Yorkers will understandably become that the state is trying to hide the data from the public,” Congressman Zeldin said.

“Assessment data for mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) are made available for New Yorkers to review every August. However, with an election approaching, Governor Hochul withheld the data this year, in what appears to be a clear attempt to cover up the damage done by New York’s unscientific Covid mandates, which undoubtedly had a significant impact on learning. New York should make its data public now, just as it has in past years. Our children must always come first,” Tenney said.