Opt-out rate rises in Wantagh

For the first time, more than half of Wantagh students opted out of the New York state English Language Arts exam, which was given April 5-7.

According to the district, 1,356 students in third through eighth grade were eligible to take the test, and 839 did not sit for it. The 62 percent refusal rate is by far the highest percentage in Wantagh in the four years since the opt-out movement began.

Last year, 47 percent of students opted out of the ELA exam, though the number ticked up to 54 percent for the math exam. This year’s math assessment is April 13-15.

Wantagh’s opt-out rate this year brought it closer in line with neighboring districts. Students in Wantagh who refused the test were allowed to read in alternate locations.

Parents have expressed concerns with the tests, saying they are written above grade level, cause students unnecessary stress and force teachers to focus on test preparation. Tom Vereline, president of Wantagh United Teachers, agreed with many of these concerns.

“Not only do we respect the rights of parents to opt their children out of state tests, but until fundamental changes are made to the state assessments, we encourage parents to continue doing so,” he said.

Vereline said that the ELA tests contain reading passages several grade levels above the grade of students taking the test. He also noted that while the tests are given in April, the results aren’t released until the summer, making the data useless.

“As for their educational value, the tests do not tell teachers anything they haven’t already learned about their students from having taught, evaluated and assessed them for the prior seven months in their classrooms,” he said.

Refusals rise in Levittown

The Levittown School District reported that 69 percent of students opted out. Of the 3,266 students in the testing grades, 2,245 did not take the tests.

The district, which includes students in portions of Wantagh and Seaford, allowed students to read in alternate location if they refused the test. The opt-out rate rose from 61 percent last year.

Marianne Adrian, a leader of Levittown’s opt-out movement, was elected to the Board of Education last May. “As a Levittown school board member,” she said, “I absolutely respect the rights of parents to make decisions that they feel are appropriate for their children.”