NYS Assessment Tests Are Happening This Week – Are You Opting Out?

New York State administers assessment tests for students in grades 3-8, and it's an issue that has people on both sides of the fence.  What is the point of taking them?

The assessment tests are done for two different subjects; math, and English Language Arts (ELA).  But why do they have to take the tests?  According to the NYS Education Office of State Assessment:

These annual ELA and math tests for students in grades 3-8 are required by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. The tests are designed to measure how well students are mastering the learning standards that guide classroom instruction and help to ensure that students are on track to graduate from high school with the critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills needed for success in college and the modern workplace. The tests also show how schools and districts are progressing with the learning standards."

Many parents choose to refuse the testing on their kids.  They claim that it puts unnecessary stress on the students and teachers.  The argument is that if they are already taking tests every day, shouldn't their scores reflect how much students are learning?  They also take away from classroom time.  Are kids going to school to simply get a score on a test?  Or are they there to learn material?  Also, by the time the results from the tests are received, the students are moving on to the next grade.  So how are they making the students better?

The other side of the argument is that the tests DO help with evaluating not the student, but the whole education process.  Are the students lacking in one subject or another?  It could also be argued that taking more tests can be beneficial to the student by making them better test takers and helping them to display the knowledge that they have.

Do YOU opt your students out of these tests?  Or do you make them take the tests?

If you have questions about the tests, why they're administered, how to get the results, what the results mean for your child, click here.