At least 100K NY students opt out of tests, group says
ALBANY – At least 100,000 students across New York have opted out of the state's standardized English Language Arts tests, according to a tally by an activist group.
With about 40 percent of the state's 700 school districts accounted for, about 112,000 students had refused the tests by Wednesday afternoon, the survey by United to Counter found. The group, which opposes the Common Core education standards the tests are based on, culled its figures from news reports and information from local officials and groups within the various districts.
Related: New York leaders misread opt out message
Wednesday marked the second day of the state's English Language Arts exams, which are administered to students in grades 3-8. A math exam will be administered next week.
Related: Students in Lower Hudson Valley opting out in big numbers
Several parent-led and union groups across the state have led an effort to have parents refuse to allow their children to take the state tests, arguing that they place too much pressure on students and teachers. The effort appears to have gained momentum despite warnings from the state Education Department that districts could face sanctions if their participation rate drops below 95 percent, which is the federal standard.
"Based on what we're hearing from around the state, there has been a concerted effort to encourage opt outs, and we expect the percentage of students who refuse to take the (English Language Arts) exams will be significantly higher than last year," state School Boards Association spokesman David Albert said.
In some districts, opt-out rates appeared to be soaring.
In West Seneca, outside Buffalo, the district said about 70 percent of its students, or about 2,000, in grades 3-8 opted out of English Language Arts exams. In Fairport outside Rochester, the district reported 67 percent of its students opted out, according to Interim Superintendent Bill Cala, who has been a vocal opponent of the emphasis on testing.
Last year, about 1.1 million students took the state's English Language Arts and math exams. About 67,000 who didn't take the math exam had no "known, valid" excuse for missing it, according to the state Education Department. The same was true for about 49,000 students on the English exam.
The state's top education officials have urged parents to allow their children to take the tests, arguing that they provide important information about how kids are performing across the state.
But a high opt-out rate could jeopardize the integrity of the exams: With fewer kids taking them, it will be harder to judge the performance of a district and its educators.
Jonathan Burman, a spokesman for the state Education Department, said the agency is "confident" it will be able to "generate a representative sample of students who took the test, generate valid scores for anyone who took the test, and calculate valid state-provided growth scores to be used in teacher evaluations."
Just how many students did and didn't participate in the exams won't be known on a statewide basis until the summer. The tests are graded locally before they're submitted to the state, after which the state verifies the scores.
"As was the case last year, the number of test-takers and the number of those who refused the exams will be available over the summer when we release test scores," Burman said.
The battle has created tension in schools.
The Rochester Teachers Association filed a grievance after a a district official emailed principals asking them to identify teachers who had encouraged students to opt out so she could "follow up" with them, the Democrat and Chronicle reported.
"As we are acutely aware, the political pressures are weighing heavily on the hearts of our families and students," Beverly Burrell-Moore, the district's chief of elementary schools, said in an email to principals on Monday.
The testing comes two weeks after the state Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo approved a $142 billion budget that came with reforms to the state's education system, many of which drew protests by the New York State United Teachers union and school groups.
It included a variety of changes to the school system, including a revamped teacher-evaluation system. The system will rely on a "matrix" that will prevent teachers from scoring highly if their students perform poorly on the standardized exams.
A Time Warner Cable/Siena College poll released late Tuesday showed upstate voters gave the plan mixed marks.
Fifty-four percent of upstate voters disagree with Cuomo's assertion that the reforms will comprehensively transform the state's education system for the better, compared to 43 percent who agree.
Some specific aspects of the plan, however, received some support. Two-thirds of those polled said they support a provision requiring school districts begin the process to remove a teacher if they receive an "ineffective" rating three years in a row.
Other parts drew opposition: 57 percent of upstate voters said they don't think the $23.5 billion in school aid is enough, compared to 39 percent who said it was too much or the right amount, according to the poll. The aid to local schools grew 6 percent from last year's budget.
Siena surveyed 737 voters from 52 counties north of New York City, excluding Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties. The poll was conducted between April 6 and 9 and has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.
Twitter: @GannettAlbany