Posted on 06/05/2002 6:29:54 AM PDT by Pharmboy
In response to criticism from writers and publishers, the New York State education commissioner said yesterday that literary passages in state-administered tests would no longer be altered to delete unwanted words or phrases.
"It is important that we use literature on the tests without changes in the passages," said the commissioner, Richard P. Mills. "I have looked carefully at the Education Department's current practices and the concerns of the writers and have directed that these changes be made."
In recent weeks, Mr. Mills has received letters from prominent figures in literature, including the novelists Annie Dillard and Frank Conroy and the poet Wendell Berry, complaining about the state's policy of editing passages in the Regents exam, a policy described in an article in The New York Times on Sunday. The editing — characterized by critics as an ill-conceived effort to be politically correct — deleted nearly all references to race, religion, ethnicity, sex, nudity, alcohol and even modest profanity.
"Who are these people who think they have the right to `tidy up' my prose?" wrote Mr. Conroy. "The New York State Political Police? The Correct Theme Authority?"
Many writers and publishers were made aware of the state policy by Jeanne Heifetz, the mother of a high school senior in Brooklyn. Ms. Heifetz found extensive revisions in Regents English exams administered over three years.
Tom Dunn, a spokesman for the State Education Department, said Mr. Mills ordered an end to the editing after conferring yesterday with the state Regents chancellor, Robert M. Bennett, and members of the Board of Regents. But Mr. Dunn said the state had begun backing away from its policy even before yesterday's announcement, and had already made sure that all literary passages contained in a Regents exam to be administered on June 18 and June 19 were true to the authors' language.
It's a shame this went on for three years. Evidently nobody noticed or cared until an alert citizen blew the whistle. Where was "investigative journalism" or the "watchdog press"?
With the explosion in communication brought on by the Internet and Drudge's concept of the "citizen journalist", I hope we have more bureaucrats "jumping on the hot griddle".
"Investigative journalism"? The "watchdog press"?
HEE HEE HEE
HAW HAW HAW
NYUK NYUK NYUK
Stop, you're killing me ...
Sounds like someone is trying to save face here. I don't believe it for a minute.
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