Some Pat-Med Parents Consider Exam Opt-Out

Judy Mottl contributed to this report.

Some Patchogue-Medford parents have been considering having their children opt-out of state education examinations taking place this month.

Tom, a Medford resident who attended Monday’s Board of Education meeting, told Patch that his daughter is frustrated by the testing.

“My daughter right now is scared of taking a test,” he said.

The opt-out movement is being driven by two major factors: state officials have already warned that the tests will be very difficult and that proficiency grades will be much lower due to the new Common Core Curriculum, which is still being implemented by state schools.

The second aspect is that state testing days have proven to be very stressful for young students and that level of stress will likely be higher this year, according to educators.Parents wishing to have students opt-out need to notify the district and have the student make the request in school. While there is no 'punishment' for not taking the tests, educators note the tests are used to determine if additional services are needed for a student and that being out of school for so many days isn't a positive action.

The English Language Arts (ELA), for third to eighth graders are all day exams that happened on April 16, 17 and 18. The three-day state math exam takes place on April 24, 25 and 26.

Lori Cannetti, assistant superintendent of curriculum at Patchogue-Medford, told Patch that opting out is not actually an option as the district is required to administer the exam, and then if the child refuses to take the exam it is coded as such in the system. The district is required to have at least 95 percent of students tested.

“If a district does not have a level of participation it will not make AYP (adequate yearly progress),” Cannetti said. “Title I funds can be affected and there may be intervention consequences required by the state for districts that fail to make AYP.”

She said that there have been some inquiries by parents as to what their options are, and that any parent who requested the information has either received a phone call from her or a letter regarding the district’s obligation to administer the exam.

"We try to stress the kids should not be anxious, just come in and do your best and that’s what we are asking them to do,” Cannetti said.

Patch asked readers on its Facebook Page about their thoughts on the opt-out idea.

“Having your child "opt out" of state testing penalizes your district and your community. If Pat-Med schools do not have scores for their students than they receiving a failing mark. This impacts the amount of Title I funding they receive and impacts the school district rating which impacts your home value,” wrote Marie Beyernheimer Page.

”The problem with these tests are that they truly are not evaluating the truth. Teachers are spending way too much time prepping the children on how to take the test. Some children don't test well and it has nothing to do with how much they may or may not know. It also is not a fair evaluation of the teachers. I wish they would do away with the testing,” wrote Maureen Kelly.

What are your thoughts on the idea of opting out? Have you decided to have your student opt out of test? Talk about it in the comments below.