Some parents plan boycott of new Common Core test Smarter Balanced Assessment puts stress on students, teachers, administrators

Sixth grader Isreal Burton, 11, familiarizes himself with the format of the new common core standardized test, which will be taken online, at Jettie Tisdale School in Bridgeport, Conn. on Tuesday, March 10, 2015. less Sixth grader Isreal Burton, 11, familiarizes himself with the format of the new common core standardized test, which will be taken online, at Jettie Tisdale School in Bridgeport, Conn. on Tuesday, March 10, ... more Photo: Brian A. Pounds Buy photo Photo: Brian A. Pounds Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close Some parents plan boycott of new Common Core test 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

Public schools around the state on Tuesday will start giving a controversial computer-based standardized test that is tied to the Common Core curriculum.

But when they do, they can count out a number of families who are planning to boycott.

From Danbury to New Canaan to Fairfield to Madison, pockets of parents are taking part in a nationwide boycott of a test they say is unproven.

The Danbury school district has had fewer than five parents decide to keep their children from taking the test, according to Sal Pascarella, superintendent of schools.

"Parents have a right to request exclusion, and we will honor that," he said. "We think it's a valuable assessment, and we understand that it is difficult."

No one is sure exactly how many Connecticut parents will refuse to let their children take test, called the Smarter Balanced Assessment. Even the boycotters themselves expect it will be a relatively small number -- nowhere near the hundreds who oppose the test in New York, Florida, New Mexico and Utah.

Still, the members of the Opt Out Connecticut Facebook group, and others like them, hope their protest will inspire more local parents to do the same.

"We do feel part of something bigger, absolutely," said Christina Marson, of Fairfield, who will not let her children -- she has four, three in testing grades -- take the test.

Adopted by states across the country as a way to raise education standards, the Common Core curriculum outlines what students should know and the skills they need at each grade level.

The curriculum came under fire almost as soon as it was introduced. Some educators complained the standards were rolled out too fast, were not fully grounded in research, and were being tested too soon.

In states where lawmakers sought to tie teacher evaluations to student performance on the test, teachers unions objected loudly. That plan is now on hold in Connecticut.

The tests we given on a trial basis last year in some districts in the state and Marson was one of the parents who refused to allow her children to take it.

Brookfield was among the districts that participated in the trial. Genie Slone, assistant superintendent of curriculum and personnel for the school district, said she had no knowledge as of last week of any parents planning to pull their children out of the test.

"We participated in the pilot test last year and it went smoothly, so I expect that the test will go well this spring," Slone said.

The Newtown school district has seen "relatively few" parents request their children be excused from the test, according to Assistant Superintendent Linda Gejda.

"I expect that we'll hear from more parents, and we're doing the best we can to answer their questions," she said. "We've been working on Common Core for several years, so we're feeling that we're in about the best position that we can be at this point."

A myriad of reasons

Some parents have tried the practice test online and call it too subjective.

"I don't know where to start," said Lara Faustini, of Fairfield. "I think they are using our kids as guinea pigs to test the test and hold teachers accountable."

Others worry about the personal information collected about children as part of the test or how the results will be used.

"They are estimating that only about 34 percent of boys will pass both the math and English/language arts," said Marion Naughton, of New Canaan, a former Norwalk teacher, whose eighth-grader will not take the test. "Why would I want that on his permanent record as he heads into high school and college?"

Naughton said she is part of a book group where there are parents not only opting out, but pulling their kids out of public school over the situation.

How it is different

Even educators have their doubts about the test.

Stratford Schools Superintendent Janet Robinson, said she wishes the state hadn't introduced testing so fast.

"I think it is going to be difficult for students," Robinson said. "We just began implementing the curriculum last year. There will be a whole group of students who haven't really had instruction that matches what they are being tested on."

The Smarter Balanced Assessment tests math and language arts and is given in third through eighth grades and to high school juniors. It is different from other standardized tests in a number of ways. It is administered online, its problems are more complex and require students to show their work. It's also adaptive. Correct responses can trigger more difficult problems just to see how far above grade level a student can go.

The test is seven-hours long, administered over several sessions.

School officials are unsure what the exam will tell them since results of last year's practice test were not shared.

Slone said the test will take up much of the month of May at Brookfield's Whisconier Middle School, and two weeks each at the high school and the two elementary schools.

"No doubt it will be a rigorous test, and our staff has completed -- and continue to engage in -- a number of training modules to get ready for it," Slone said. "And, we have revised our curriculum to align to the Common Core so our students will be prepared for it."

Bandwidths and special software

Preparing for the test took a lot. Many districts sought and received state grants to add technology that would allow them to give the test.

In Ansonia, Assistant Superintendent Michael Wilson wrote a grant that paid for about 900 small laptops known as Chromebooks. The district added an elementary technology teacher to make sure young students could operate the computer correctly.

Pascarella said Danbury has sufficient computers to carry out the testing.

"This goes beyond and has more rigor than the recall, basic, pencil-and-paper material that most adults grew up with," Pascarella said. "And believe me, our teachers have been working very hard on this. But, it will create more anxiety for a lot of kids. So, a few more years to become more conversant with the curriculum would make me feel better all around."

In Bridgeport, Dyrene Newton, executive director of elementary education, started preparing the district in September, checking computers, training teachers, making sure there was Internet access and correctly installed software. The district developed a schedule allowing nine schools take the test at one time. The test will be administered during a three-month window that stretches from Tuesday through June.

"We are absolutely in a great place in terms of technology," Newton said.

Mixed messages

There is no penalty for parents or students to opt out and no penalty for a district as long as 95 percent of students in a district take the test, said Alan Taylor, chairman of the state Board of Education.

There is no provision in the law for districts to opt out, said Kelly Donnelly, a state department of education spokeswoman.

Pascarella said the Danbury school district is ready for the exam.

"We have been shifting our curriculum to focus on deeper and more concentrated learning, and we're in a position to be comfortable with the testing, although I would have preferred more time," he said. "But our children are familiar with the content and the way the test is given."