Lynbrook, East Rockaway students opt-out of tests

Hundreds of eligible students in Lynbrook and East Rockaway did not take the state English Language Arts assessments last week, as parents continued to make clear their opposition to the Common Core curriculum. There were increases in both school districts’ numbers of “opt-outs” over last year.

Administrators from both districts said they were not surprised by the increase. “In early March, we asked that the request for opting out be sent to the building principal in writing as soon as possible,” said Lynbrook Superintendent Melissa Burak. “Some [parents] expressed hope that the refusal shifts the focus of education away from high-stakes testing.”

In East Rockaway, parents were required to send letters to the administration before March 23, though many did not opt their children out until the day of the test. “In recent letters, parents cited that these tests create anxiety for the students and do not provide adequate measurement of their knowledge and skills,” said Superintendent Lisa Ruiz, adding that the increasing number of opt-outs will make state testing data “more unreliable and much less useful in determining the effectiveness of our instruction and curriculum, or for measuring student progress.”

The Common Core is a set of academic standards in math and ELA that constitute what a student should know by the end of each grade. The standards were created to ensure that students graduate from high school with the skills they need to succeed in college and beyond, regardless of where they live — though the implementation of the curriculum in New York state has been widely criticized for subjecting children to unreasonable stress and anxiety.