Student typing

The computer-based PARCC tests are for students in kindergarten through 12th grade and measure proficiency in math and English. Bills being discussed in Trenton would restrict how the assessment results can be used, and seek to allow parents to exempt their children.

(David Gard / Star-Ledger file photo)

An eighth-grader at Hope Township School told a New Jersey Assembly committee that she was forced to stare at a blank computer screen for seven hours because she opted out of taking a state-standardized test.

Chloe Wagner's testimony on Thursday morning in Trenton was part of an Education Committee hearing on a bill that would allow parents or guardians to exclude their children from having to sit through the administration of state-standardized tests if they don't want to take the tests.

Wagner's experience occurred during Hope Township School's administration of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, exam. Schools across New Jersey have been administering the exams this month.

This marks the first time New Jersey students are taking the PARCC exams, which measure English and math proficiency.

The new computer-based testing, established to bring New Jersey in line with Common Core standards, has been embroiled in controversy. Parents have expressed concerns that students unfamiliar with computers will be at a disadvantage. A movement to get parents to opt their children out of taking the exam has gained substantial traction.

Wagner's mother, Renee Wagner, testified that her daughter refused to take the exam after researching it. She said that decision put her in an unbearable situation.

"At one point, her only hope was to doodle on a piece of paper to pass the time," she said of her daughter's experience sitting through the exam.

After learning about what Chloe Wagner went through, Renee Wagner pulled her daughter out of school for the second day of the exams and complained.

"Had I not intervened and removed her, she would've endured at least another three hours sitting and staring at a blank computer," she said.

Chloe Wagner, in her testimony, urged the Education Committee to approve the bill, citing what she went through.

"Being a confident young adult, this was by far one of the most difficult things I had ever been put through," she said. "I would've never expected to be shunned and singled out in the safety of my education environment."

Hope Township School Principal Stacey Brown said in an email Thursday afternoon that the school has a procedure in place for students who opt out of the exam. That procedure requires the student to be present during testing, she said.

"The student will be required to remain in the testing location and sit quietly and not cause any distractions while other students are taking the assessment," she said, citing the procedure. "A student not participating in a statewide assessment will not be provided an alternative educational activity during the testing time."

Brown also said that students who opt out will face no disciplinary action.

She confirmed receiving a complaint from a parent about the way a student was treated for refusing to take the exam.

"The parent made our district aware of her concerns and we have shared those concerns with the Warren County Office of Education," Brown said. "In addition, we have scheduled meetings in the near future to consider our testing procedures."