New York Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia says the state has made major changes to the Common Core English and math assessments since last year when 1 in 5 students refused to take them. Despite the changes, the children of a county executive in the Hudson Valley are opting out once again.
This year's testing gets underway Tuesday, and the children of Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, and his wife Sheila, a special education teacher, will for the third year refuse to take part in the Common Core tests. County Executive Astorino calls the tests a common core guinea pig experiment. New York last year saw the highest rate of opt-outs in the country. Supporters of the opt-out movement anticipate large numbers again this year, saying the changes have not gone far enough. Among the biggest shifts is that student test scores will not count in teacher evaluations. The tests also will be shorter and students will have as much time as they need to finish.
Copyright 2016 WAMC and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
