Standardized testing begins this week for students in grades 3 through 8, who will be taking ELA (English Language Arts), starting on Tuesday. The math exams begin next week.

The tests are given in order to assess how each school district has applied the Common Core teaching standards to their curriculum. Since first being given, they’ve been a sore subject for parents and teachers across the state. Parents feel the additional tests add unneeded stress to their child’s live, while teachers feel the tests are unfair because they often involve testing parts of curriculum that teachers themselves have yet to implement in their teaching. The tests were also initially going to be used to help measure teacher performance, although that has since been removed as evaluation criteria by the state education department.

Jamestown School Superintendent Tim Mains told WRFA last week that the state education department has also responded to concerns brought forward by parents.

“There’s a new vendor that’s managing the process and even though that new vendor is so new that they have to use old questions that were field tested by the previous company, they took those questions and put them in front of teachers,” Mains explained. “So they had teachers who read every single item, threw out things that they felt weren’t grade appropriate or that they didn’t think were fair. They shortened the test a bit. And the biggest piece, which I personally love, is that they no longer will have a time limit.”

Mains adds that by removing the time limit on the exams, there should be less stress for students since they know they won’t have to rush through the exam.

Jamestown Public Schools Superintendent Tim Mains

It remains to be seen if parents in the county will be satisfied with the changes, or if they will instead try to opt their students out of the exam. In 2015, Jamestown Public Schools reported an opt-out rate of 2 percent for the ELA exam, and a 3 percent opt-out rate for the math exam. The school district with the highest percentage of opt-outs in Chautauqua County was Fredonia School district with a 53 percent math assessment refusal rate and a 50 percent refusal rate for the ELA exams.

Mains said he’s hopeful that Jamestown will have a high participation rate because it’s crucial that the district knows how will it is doing in teaching the common core curriculum.

“I know that there are some folks who take objection to the common core, but the higher standards are exactly where we need to be, exactly where we need to be headed, and I want our children to perform well and be able to meet those standards,” he said. “If they’re not meeting those standards then we want to know, and we can’t know if they are not taking those tests.”

Mains said a newsletter recently went out to parents reminding them the tests are taking place this week, and also asking parents to make sure their children are prepared by getting rest, eating a breakfast that is low in sugar and high in protein, and to also reassure their children.

“Parents need to remind their children that the tests are not about them,” Mains said. “It’s not to say how smart they are, it’s simply to say how much can you do and show as much to do as you can. If you don’t know a question, then make your best guess or go onto a question that you can answer.”

In all, there will be three days of English tests this week and three days of math tests next week.

Jamestown Public Schools Superintendent Tim Mains

JAMESTOWN, NY – A new round of testing is now underway across New York State, but as an estimated one million students in third through eighth grades began taking their common core tests, also known as standardized tests, for English Language Arts (ELA) on Tuesday, thousands of their peers  have opted out.

In Jamestown, it appears only a small group of students have opted out of the exam process. That’s according to Jamestown Superintendent Tim Mains, who spoke with WRFA Tuesday afternoon.

“The overwhelming majority of students in Jamestown are taking their tests, as they should,” Mains said. “So I think most parents recognize that this is an opportunity for kids to show what they know, and I believe we have very few people who refuse to take the tests.”

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Some school districts in the state are seeing a high number of opt out rates and as a result, they’ve set aside space in the district where those students can go to quietly study or do other school work. However, Mains said that Jamestown doesn’t have the resources to provide an alternative space for its opt out students. As a result, they are required to sit quietly in the exam room while their peers take the tests.

“Our responsibility is to make sure the tests are available to all students,” Mains said. “There is no place for [the opt out students] to go. Anyone that is scheduled to take the test is in the room to take the test.”

“If their parents have directed them to refuse the test then they sit there until the proctor decides that the test time is up, or they have the opportunity to do something else, but we don’t have any place to put them,” Mains added. “When we go into testing it’s all hands on deck so we need all available staff to make sure the tests are administered and administered properly.”

Many parents are opting their children out of the exams because of the stress the tests have created. But Mains feels the exams are essential to strengthening the current education system.

“I don’t think there’s too much testing and I don’t think the tests are unfair. In fact I see the tests, in terms of instruction, as an essential way that we have of improving our delivery and helping the kids identify and correct any problems that they might be having,” Mains said.

Supporters of the opt-out movement say refusing the Common Core-aligned tests sends a message to state leaders, with parent groups expressing frustration with the state’s reliance on “high-stakes” tests and the New York State United Teachers union angered by a recent move to make teacher evaluations more reliant on student test scores.

But the state’s education leaders say opting out is the wrong choice and some sanctions could be delivered to districts that don’t have a high participation rate.

The English Language Arts testing continues today and Thursday, with another round of math exams schedule for next week.

According to an article in Elmira’s Star Gazette, a parent-led effort to opt their children out of New York’s standardized tests appears to have gained momentum in recent weeks, with the head of the state’s teachers union, various labor-backed groups and even the Working Families Party of New York throwing support behind the movement.

The surge in opt-outs could may cause problems for local school districts, who are facing a threat of potential sanctions from the state Education Department if participation rates on the exams are low. If a district falls below a 95 percent participation rate, the state can impose sanctions – with the most severe punishment being a cut in federal funding.

Some officials say as many as 200,000 parents and students could opt out this year, with many of them living her in Chautauqua County. Last week during the Jamestown School board meeting, Superintendent Tim Mains briefly talked about the importance of the exams, explaining that its crucial for the district to have a high number of students take the exam because it is state law and the district is not in any kind of position to be faced with possible sanctions.

According to the Star Gazette article, the state doesn’t tally the number of parents who refused the test on their children’s behalf. But 67,000 students who didn’t take the 2014 math exam had no “known, valid” excuse, along with 49,000 students who skipped the English Language Arts test, according to the state Education Department.

The “opt out” movement gained steam last year with both parents and teachers voicing concern over the state’s widely criticized rollout of the Common Core, a more-challenging set of education standards being implemented in New York and more than 40 other states.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo

ALBANY – The recent the controversial surrounding New York’s implementation of the 21^st Century Learning Standards – more commonly known as “Common Core” – has not gone unnoticed by lawmakers in Albany.

After months of criticism from teachers, parents and students across the state, leaders in both the State Assembly and State Senate are calling for a moratorium on the implementation of Common Core. This despite the fact that New York Education Commissioner John King, Jr. has said the standards are still new and will take time to adjust to. He has also said that the state is allowing for the performance evaluations to be slowly phased in over a seven-year period and so educators and parents shouldn’t rush to judgement.

Commissioner King appeared in Jamestown in December to address common core. In January, the largest teachers’ union in the state announced it had ‘no confidence‘ in King as education commissioner.

While it has become clear that many are upset with Common Core, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he will not call for a moratorium on the education standard. Instead, he’s assembling an independent panel to review common core and assess its effectiveness.

Below is a statement from the governor’s office, released on Tuesday, regarding the common core:

Governor Cuomo believes that the best long term economic development strategy is ensuring New York State has the strongest possible education system. Common Core is an issue about which there has been a lot of dialogue. The Governor believes that we need to set real standards for our students and have a meaningful teacher evaluation system, and continues to support the Common Core agenda.

However, the Governor believes that the way that Common Core has been managed by the Board of Regents is flawed, leading to too much uncertainty, confusion and anxiety among students and their parents. The strength of public education in New York is dependent on a rational system that is well administered.

Two weeks ago, the Governor announced that he will assemble a panel that includes education experts and members of the legislature to identify flaws in Common Core’s rollout and take corrective action by the end of this session. The Governor believes there are two issues – common core and teacher evaluations – and they must be analyzed separately. It would be premature to consider any moratorium before the panel is allowed to do its work.

JTA President Christopher Reilly addresses the state education commissioner as the audience listens during the public forum on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

JAMESTOWN – A lot of Western New Yorkers are concerned about the current state of public education in New York.

That was the message last night as hundreds of people filled the Jamestown High School auditorium to meet with New York State Education Commissioner John King Jr. to share their thoughts and asks questions about the controversial 21^st Century Learning Standards – more commonly known as “Common Core.”

More than 30 people had an opportunity to speak directly to the commissioner, including Jamestown Teachers Association President Christopher Reilly. Reilly said the teachers in Jamestown are dedicated to improving student achievement, but the new teaching standards imposed by the state has not made it easy.

Jamestown Teachers Association President Christopher Reilly addresses the State Education Commissioner and other education officials on Wednesday Night.

“The expectations of the common core are often times unclear,” Reilly explained. “The modules designed to assist teachers in implementing the Common Core are laced with errors. Teachers should not have to check ‘Engage New York’ to be alerted to errors found in modules. It’s unsettling when good veteran teachers consistently question the modules and their focus and appropriateness.”

Fredonia Middle School principal Andrew Ludwig also spoke out against the Common Core. He said that he’s not only opposed to it as an educator, but also as a parent.

“I can not possibly share with you all of my concerns in the time I am allotted, but you have heard many of these concerns over and over again in different times and different places,” Ludwig said. “You nod your heads, sometimes you smile, but I’m not sure you’re really listening. Unless major changes are made in the 3 through 8 testing program, I believe that many, many parents across the state will refuse your test.”

A few current students also spoke during the public comment, including one who said that the current education model and testing has created anxiety for him. He said he’s also seen his performance slip since the new standards have been implemented.

“Last year I received a [score of] 4 on the New York State test. This year I received a 3. How do you think that made me feel?” he said, adding, “Because of all the anxiety I’ve experienced, I’ve opted out from testing for this coming year. I know I am smart and I don’t need your tests.”

The vast majority of those who spoke expressed various concerns to the education model, ranging from poorly planned implementation models to over-testing and even corporate interests behind the creation of Common Core. However, there were some in attendance who were school administrators from throughout the region who spoke in favor of the standards.

New York State Education Commissioner John King, Jr. speaks with reporters prior to a public forum on public education at Jamestown High School on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013.

Commissioner King responded to many of the concerns that were brought forward by the parents, students and teachers who spoke, with some of response aimed at refuting the claims made by those who spoke. His overlying message what that the standards are still new and will take time to adjust to. He added that the state is allowing for the performance evaluations to be slowly phased in over a seven-year period.

Prior to the public forum, WRFA specifically asked him about the amount of stress that the new teaching standards and assessments have created for students, parents and teachers. The commissioner’s response was that stress isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“There’s a balance you have to strike. There is some productive stress,” King said. “Most things in life that are worth doing require hard work. They require practice. They require preparation. So I think its important that we not say stress is inherently bad. But of course we worry about students feeling stress about the assessments or the educators feeling stress about the assessments. The assessments have to be treated as moment in time that gives us good information about student progress towards the goal, but not become the curriculum.”

The commissioner will hold one more public forum on the common core – most likely in Buffalo – prior to bringing his findings to the State Education Department and the Board of Regents.

WRFA will also have more from Wednesday Night’s public forum during Community Matters, which airs at 6 p.m. Thursday on WRFA.