CCER Testifies on Certification, Assessments, and More

New Haven, Connecticut – On Thursday, March 19, 2015, Jeffrey Villar, Executive Director of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER), testified before the Education Committee during a public he­aring on several pieces of proposed legislation that ran deep into the night.

“CCER strongly supports many aspects of Senate Bill 1098,” said Dr. Villar of a bill that would address various requirements for teacher certification. “This bill would reduce barriers for out-of-state teacher candidates and also create Alternate Routes to Certification for administrator positions. Both of these measures would serve to broaden the pool of educator candidates in our state.”

“CCER is also supportive of a study on the impact of standardized assessments on students,” Dr. Villar said. “We need these tests if we are going to have any accountability in our public education system. Standardized tests allow us to measure the efficacy of our investments in improving public education. Perhaps more importantly, they’ve helped us to identify whether students from subgroups are doing as well as other students. My organization exists because they are not.”

The Education Committee heard about numerous other important bills that night. To read Dr. Villar’s full, written testimony, click here.

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About the Connecticut Council for Education Reform

The Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER)–a statewide, non-partisan, 501(c)(3) not- for-profit organization–works to close the achievement gap and raise academic outcomes for all students in Connecticut. The achievement gap is the disparity in academic achievement between children from low-income families and children of color, and their peers. We advocate for state policies and local practices that research shows have the best chance of raising achievement for high-need student populations.

For more information on CCER, go to www.ctedreform.org