Introduction

Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

On April 1, children across New York will pick up their No. 2 pencil and start filling in the bubbles on the first of several days of tests assessing the new national Common Core learning standards.

Students around the country will take the exams. Many parents complain about the stress their children must endure, call the tests unfair and say that test preparation is dominating classroom curriculum. They are calling on parents to boycott the exams. Even Rob Astorino, a Republican candidate for governor of New York and father of three, announced on Twitter that his family will be opting out.

Is opting out of the tests the right approach?