Ever since Common Core testing was introduced in New York State in 2014, controversy has swirled around its testing volume. The outcry among public school parents in the state, including those in Nassau County, was so great that the state’s superintendent of education eventually resigned. The number of students who do opt out of at least some of the testing varies from district to district, but the Roslyn School District, which always has one of the top performing districts in the state, is not part of the opt-out trend.
In the 2014-15 school year, 176 Roslyn School District students opted out of the ELA test. None of them opted out of the math test. This year’s numbers are not available, but the district issued a statement on testing and opting out.
“We have no specific policy regarding opt-outs,” the statement read. “Our philosophy is that it is a parent’s right and decision to opt out if they so choose. It is our obligation as a district to administer the exams, which we do according to the directives of the state. The state gives ELA (English Language Arts) and math tests in grades three to eight, and science in grades four and eight. As they have not yet even been given this school year, we have no information to share.”
In other districts, East Williston had 75 students who opted out of the ELA test and 60 who did the same for the math test. The numbers in the Herricks District was 39 for ELA and 74 for math, while North Shore had an opt-out rate of 127 for ELA and 110 for math.
