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Partly Cloudy 'Opt-outs' spike in Valley Stream
More than 20 percent of students refuse tests in 3 districts
Three of Valley Stream’s four school districts reported an increase of more than 20 percent in the number of students whose parents chose to keep them from taking the state English Language Arts exams last week.
The Valley Stream Central High School District, District 13 and District 24 each reported a sharp rise in the number of students refusing the test over last year’s numbers. District 30 reported a small increase.
District 13 saw the highest percentage of students opt out, as 429 students, or 34 percent of eligible third- to eighth-graders, did not take the tests. That was a 28-percentage-point increase over last year, when 79 students — 6 percent — did not sit for the tests.
The exams, based on the hotly debated Common Core State Standards, measure students’ aptitude in reading and writing skills. They do not affect students’ overall grades, but do factor heavily into teacher evaluations and district ratings. The math assessments were given this week.
In the VSCHSD, 385 students, or 25 percent, opted out of the ELA exam. That’s up from 39 students last year, or 2.6 percent. District 24 had a similar increase, with 155 students, or 24 percent, opting out. Just 11 students, or 1.7 percent, opted out last year.
Adrienne Robb-Fund, superintendent of District 13, said she wasn’t surprised by the increase. “This was about what we expected,” she said. “I think there was a social media campaign, organized by people who believe the tests are a bad idea, that was very effective, and we honored the wishes of those parents who wished to opt out of the exam.”
District 30 had 58 students — 6 percent of those eligible — elect not to take the ELA assessments. Last year, only six students, less than 1 percent, opted out.
“I wasn’t surprised that we didn’t see much of an increase,” said Superintendent Nicholas Stirling. “I’ve talked with a few parents about it, but it hasn’t been a hot issue here in our district. Parents understand that it’s just one test, one part of the process, and it doesn’t define our students or teachers as individuals.”
