Test scores also measure effects of the opt-out movement
School districts face possible funding loss
Area schools were at the epicenter of the opt-out movement for standardized tests earlier this year, and this is the week when districts will learn what effect the large number of students refusing to take the tests had on overall test results.
When the state releases the standardized test scores later this week, some districts will see whether the opt-out students affected the overall proficiency of their students. And some districts could face repercussions, including redirection of federal money, if too many students refused to take the standardized test and thus failed to meet federal requirements.
No school district in New York has ever faced financial sanctions because too few students took the state tests, and local educators are still not sure how the state will handle the opt-outs this year. And because many wealthier suburban districts get relatively little federal money, that sanction – even if imposed – might have little impact.
That’s why some educators believe the state will have to respond to what has swelled from a few hundred families refusing the test to a massive political movement that some estimate involves 200,000 students statewide, along with the influential teachers union.
“Opt-out is potentially a political movement that needs to be reckoned with,” said Donald A. Ogilvie, a former superintendent in Buffalo and Erie 1 BOCES. “As the numbers grow, it adds to the movement.”
Added to the mix is a new state education commissioner, who already has made it clear she sees the opt-out movement as a problem and intends to work with districts to put an end to it.
Whether that will come with mere persuasion, or a hammer, is yet to be seen.
“We have an issue we have to address,” Commissioner MaryEllen Elia told educators in Sweet Home last month. “The opt-out issue is very problematic.”
New York State has been giving standardized tests to students for years with little push back from parents and teachers. That was partially because the harshest penalties tied to the tests were largely felt by urban school systems receiving significant amounts of federal anti-poverty money the government could use as leverage to force sanctions. Most suburban school districts where students generally fared well had little to say about the annual testing.
That dynamic changed when state and federal leaders started pushing to use those standardized test scores as a factor in teacher evaluations.
That push came at the same time New York introduced the Common Core Learning Standards and accompanying tests, which are significantly tougher. Many traditionally high-performing school districts saw their performance dip.
The first year the test was given, the percentage of students statewide deemed proficient in Test scores also measure effects of the opt-out movement - City & Region - The Buffalo News: