Note that neither the SAT Subject Tests nor the optional SAT Essay will be offered going forward, as per a recent decision by the College Board. Click the link above to learn more.

For most students, taking the AP Exam in May serves as the natural culmination of their AP course experience. Schools wishing to provide this experience to their students should be aware of the different AP Exams available, the responsibilities associated with administering exams, and the exam development processes that ensure college-level learning is being assessed.

Parents should consider the costs and benefits of encouraging children to make these commitments. Explore the AP exams by accessing the College Board site:

The “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015. It represents good news for our nation’s schools. This bipartisan measure reauthorizes the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation’s national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students. The new law builds on key areas of progress in recent years, made possible by the efforts of educators, communities, parents, and students across the country.

Decisions and opportunities involving funding within ESSA have been moved to the district level – an important change from the former “No Child Left Behind” protocols that depended on federal-to-State level distribution. School leaders and concerned educators must take this into account when advocating and planning for their schools and departments.

Every Science educator in NY State should be familiar with the resources that the NYSED offers. Visit http://www.nysed.gov/ regularly! This branch of the State government in Albany is tasked with the development of curriculum and instruction, assessment, certification and professional development. Virtually every question you have about science pedagogy at every level can be answered or redirected at their site. While they collaborate with for-profit organizations like Achieve (https://www.wested.org/wested-news/nextgenscience/) and New Visions (https://www.newvisions.org/) the Strategic Plan that they developed with the NY State Consortium for Science Education designates them as the reliable proprietor for all Science education actions involving these and other stakeholders. Unfortunately, the NYSED never adequately funded by the legislature and is always at the mercy of personnel shortage. Our work with the NYS Consortium has shown SED to be dedicated workers, unable to advocate for themselves due to politics, plain and simple.

If there were ever a reason to join and participate in the associations under SCONYC’s umbrella, it would be to actively join us in supporting changes and improvements in science instruction. Instead of “waiting for the test” or languishing in the many passive conspiracy theories about what the “powers that be” are doing to your classroom, remember: Legislative/ legal action and direct involvement of parents (voters) in advocacy for better Science education works far better than latching your classroom door.

If you need a curated go-to list for hyperlinks to sites that can help you in todays limited range of professional learning for all grade bands, refer to the spreadsheet on our site. Refer to the grade band columns to click on resources in such areas as platforms, apps, best practices, engagement, lesson examples, phenomena, storylines, 3-D Labs, discipline-related tips & tricks, and field trip ideas. Each resource is also labeled as free of charge or fee based.

This list was designed to lighten the search load for science educators and gives a sense of what’s out there for us, going forward during these times of change. Resources are both in-class and distance-based. Be the professional in your school with the good ideas to help your colleagues. Gain expertise you can share and bring this to our member associations to make friends, find allies and stay ahead of the curve in your classroom.