Wantagh Parents Express Concerns Over Testing

Some parents in the Wantagh School District weighed in with their opposition to state testing and the common core learning standards at a school board meeting this week.

In the public comment section of Thursday's meeting parents said that the emphasis on testing is hurting their children.

"Today my 8-year-old came home with a math test and she received a 65, her last test was a 45," said Lori Valdez, a Wantagh mom. "My daughter dreams of becoming a veterinarian and a soccer plyer. But today, she looked me in the eye and said, 'Mom, I'll never make it to college. I'm too stupid. I fail every test.

Vadez calls state tests "flawed," saying "they're asking children to think in ways they're not developmentally ready for." 

She wants the board to join other districts around the state and propose a resolution asking the state to re-think their position on testing.

"It won't cancel the test, but it'll send a very strong message," she said.

A father who has a third grader in the district told the board that he feels the common core "is a cookie cutter approach to teaching our kids."

"If you truly care about our kids, you'd treat them as individuals and not like robots.

School Board President Michael Soethout insisted that the district doesn't approach all students the same way.

"Our kids are individuals ," he said, adding "We want a full bodied education for kids," and that's what we've really tried to focus on this year."

Superintendent Maureen Goldberg, said the district has to follow state standards, but in a statement Goldberg told Patch, "We have complied with this mandate, but have voiced our deep concerns to the Commissioner of Education John B. King regarding the impact of prematurely introducing this new more rigorous curriculum and the associated assessments."

Soethout said that the board has discussed the possibility of proposing a resolution related to testing, but nothing was imminent.

The board president expressed his personal opinion that district residents should contact their state legislators to convince them to ask King to re-think the current policy.