In New York, slightly more students opted out of the Common Core aligned state test this spring than did last year, according to the state’s Department of Education. Last year 20 percent opted out and this year 21 percent opted out.
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Earlier this year, weeks before students were to take the state’s standardized test, New York Commissioner of Education MaryEllen Elia traveled around touting the state’s exams as a reliable way to measure students’ progress on New York’s learning standards, gave teachers a chance to vet the questions, and then tossed out time limits on the test. It was all an effort to tamper down on the number of students who opted out of the state’s exams.
The Fall 2016 issue of Education Next includes a two-part forum “Making Sense of the Opt-Out Movement”
Scott Levy, a New York State public-school parent and local school board member, argues “Opt-Out Reflects the Genuine Concerns of Parents”
Jonah Edelman, cofounder and CEO of Stand for Children, a national organization advocating for college and career readiness for all, writes “This Issue Is Bigger Than Just Testing”
-Education Next
