Testing, Principal on School Board Agendas

The Huntington and South Huntington school boards are meeting Tuesday night to swear in new members and take up a host of other matters.

Huntington trustees will take up a resolution that addresses "the overreliance on standardized tests as a measure of student performance and principal/teacher effectiveness."

The resolution also says, "while the implementation ofthe Common Core will ultimately help students, teachers and teaching and learning, the growing reliance on and misalignment of standardized testing is eroding student learning time, and narrowing the curriculum and jeopardizing the rich, meaningful education our students need and deserve."

The federal and state tests have become an issue for many Long Island parents. 

Also on the agenda is discussion of the timeline of the opening of the STEM school planned for Jack Abrams school. The district announced its ambitious plan to establish the program last fall, hoping to open it in September. Parents and others have endorsed the move to add educational options and put the building back to use after it was closed three years ago because of fears about crime nearby.

Huntington's board will also see the return of Bill Dwyer as a trustee. The former board president was elected in May. He and fellow new trustee Bari Fehrs will be sworn in at the 6 p.m. meeting at Jack Abrams school.

South Huntington's board will meet to swear in returning board members Nick Ciappetta and Laura Carey. This is Carey's first elected term after her appointment to fill a vacancy this year.

The board will also announce the new principal for Stimson Middle School, replacing  Faye Robins, who is retiring in August.

The South Huntington board meets at 7:30 p.m. at the District Office on Weston  Street.