Parent group opt-out push

CITY SCHOOL administrators should tell parents they can pull their children out of next week’s high-stakes state exams, parent advocates said Wednesday.

Members of advocacy group NYC Opt Out said many parents are getting confusing and misleading information about the tests from teachers and principals.

“This is about making sure all parents are aware they have a choice,” said Johanna Garcia, a parent leader in upper Manhattan’s District 6 Community Education Council. “Latino students and their parents are the least likely to have access to information that will help them keep their educational rights.”

Students in third through eighth grades will take the English Language Arts exam next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and the math exam April 13-15.

City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña has instructed principals to provide parents with written information about the

tests, butb some parents said id theyh never received any documents.

Last year, 240,000 students across the state opted out of the exams.

Members of NYC Opt Out said they believe some parents are being deliberately misled to keep those numbers low.

Parents and educators alike have complained that the exams, based on the controversial Common Core standards, are confusing and poorly written and force t teachers and students to dedicate classroom time to test preparation rather than overall academic d development.

“My children have been taking t these tests for years now,” said Charlana Walker, a parents association president at the Cornerstone Academy for Social Action M Middle School in the Bronx.

“I’ve watched my son suffer t taking these tests. He chews his nails off. He’s vomited during these exams.”

Fariña has encouraged particip pation in the tests — saying they have been changed to address some of those concerns.

“There will be fewer questions, n no time limit for students as long as they are working productively, and no impact on teacher evaluations,” said city Education Department spokeswoman Devora Kaye.

She said a parent guide distributed at all schools clearly states that principals should respect a parent’s decision to opt out and provide an alternate activity.