Valley Stream ‘opt-out’ movement mobilizes ahead of testing season

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Valley Stream parents, as well as members of the Valley Stream Teachers Association, are actively circulating opt-out forms, posting on social media and sharing fliers around the town to encourage parents to opt their children out of taking statewide tests beginning next week. Last year, the number of students who opted out of taking the English Language Arts and math exams nearly doubled from the prior year.

Parents in favor of the movement say that the tests’ standards are not appropriate for the grade level, and that New York State should not use these tests to determine how well a student is learning. Parents and teachers have been critical of the Common Core ELA and math standards since they were adopted by New York in 2012.

“They’re assessing them on things they can’t do because their brain hasn’t been developed yet,” said Kristen Morris, co-president of the Clear Stream Avenue school’s PTA and a teacher in New York City. “I feel that if you’re going to have an assessment, make it a fair assessment of what they learned that year.” She believed that the English Language Arts tests are testing fifth-graders about concepts they would learn in seventh-grade.

Simona Simone, president of the Robert W. Carbonaro School PTA, said that the state does not release grades until the following August or September, when the child is already entering the next grade and a parent can no longer help their child learn. The state also changes what it considers a passing grade every year, leading Simone to believe that these exams cannot accurately assess a child’s ability to learn.

Other parents feel that the exams are stressing students out, at a time when many are already having difficulty understanding certain concepts.

“They’re struggling enough with their grades,” said Robin Rodriguez-Powell, the president of the high schools’ joint PTA. “Now you’re giving them something else to test.”

Some school districts are using other tests to measure a student’s ability to learn. District 24, for example, uses the Northwest Evaluation Association exams, or NWEA, for students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade. These tests, however, are taken once at the beginning of the school year and again at the end of the year to provide the district with information on a child’s growth in that school year.

“We’re taking a stand to let New York State know that there are other ways to see if they’re college or career-ready,” Simone said.

The New York State Education Department made several changes to the 2016 tests, including fewer questions, the elimination of time constraints and no official evaluation consequences for educators. Simone did not think the changes were enough.

“New York State likes to say they changed things so people opt back in, ” she said.

The only significant change, according to Simone, was the elimination of a time limit, which she believes could do more harm than good. “If you have a child who takes longer to take a test, they could be sitting there for six or seven hours,” Simone said.

As part of the change, however, the New York State Department of Education will allow students to leave the classroom to “ensure that all students…are productively working,” according to the 2017 ELA and Mathematics Tests School Administrator’s Manual.

Despite continued frustrations with the exams this year, the Valley Stream Teachers Association will not sponsor any rallies as it has in the past.

“We believe that people are aware of the opt-out movement now, and rallies are used to call attention to a cause,” said Patrick Naglieri, the president of the teachers association.

The union will, however, display a billboard around town to raise awareness of students’ right to opt out. The billboard’s call to action is written in English and Spanish.

The ELA test is scheduled for March 28 through 30, and the math exams are slated for May 2 through 4. Districts offering computer-based tests, however, can have their students begin the tests one day earlier.

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