Some parents said they had trouble helping their children with their homework, since the Common Core uses problem-solving methods alien to parents. Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Christopher Pelletieri acknowledged that problem, and said that the district would be uploading resources for parents to the school websites to aid parents in helping their kids.

Students opting-out of tests was also a topic that came up. Last year, Rockville Centre had the most children — more than 300 — not take the tests last year.

Johnson has not hidden the fact that he dislikes the new state tests. However, as a superintendent, he is bound by law to administer the exams and cannot tell parents to opt out.

He stressed, that if parents once again chose to have their children opt-out of the mandatory state exams in grades 3 through 8, there would be no consequence for either the children or the district. One parent asked if opting her children out of the exam would actually make a difference to the state.

“If the state doesn’t have enough people in the state taking the exam, what would happen?” Johnson asked. “I think someone would have to go back to the drawing board and say, maybe we made a mistake.

“The real issue,” Johnson added later, “is how willing parents are to make a statement if they truly believe these tests are not right for their children.”

There were still many questions that went unaddressed due to time constraints. Parents who still have concerns about the Common Core and state testing are encouraged to bring their questions to their local PTA meeting or to the Board of Education meetings. The forum was taped and will be aired on the Rockville Centre Schools Channel starting next week.