New Policy Supports Students Who Opt Out Of Standardized Tests

New Haven's test scores are gonna go through the roof!! All the kids who aren't learning anything are going to opt out (either on their own or via some gentle nudging).

I don't understand the point of this and how it helps students and our future generation.

NHPS appears to be more concerned with student "feelings" rather than concerned with providing a thorough and rigorous course of academic study. NHPS is failing our children and has been failing them for a very long time. If any NHPS students feel "bad or somehow different" for whatever assorted reasons that may be troubling them, imagine how they are going to feel when they graduate without the appropriate and necessary skills to find a decent job/profession.

https://www.publicschoolreview.com/connecticut/new-haven-school-district/902790-school-district

https://www.niche.com/k12/d/new-haven-school-district-ct/

Students are over tested and "teaching for the standardized test" is taking away from actual learning and teaching time in the classroom. The skills necessary to be successful in college or at work are not memorizing stuff to spew back onto a standardized test. What would be more important is reading comprehension, writing proficiency, and math proficiency testing to measure students abilities and to see where they need extra assistance with to target the areas where each individual student academic strengths and weaknesses are, at the beginning of the school year, and the school and the teachers then developing an individualized learning assistance plan for each student for the year, with any specialist reading or math instruction provided as needed to catch the student up to grade level. This would provide schools a better indication of what their students need, rather than just measuring their memorization and testing skills for statistics.

For those who come in and wHaT aBoUt tHe sTuDeNtS...

THIS is the most important statement: ...state-mandated testing program is an integral part of the district's needs assessment and evaluation program.

THIS is what testing is about. It's about the DISTRICT'S needs....NOT the individual student's needs. Students are tested A LOT during the course of the school-year. Teachers test students a great deal. State mandated testing is about FUNDING of the district.

this is beyond insanity! when does it stop? where is the merit in doing well and excelling in school? where exactly will opting out get you in life ? total failure, another disgrace totally fueling the USA's decline

More foolishness. These students will put themselves at a distinct disadvantage in a zero sum game (college entrance) - parents be cautious and question who twill benefit in the long run.

In the past, one test - the METROPOLITAN ACHIEVEMENT TEST- was administered. No parades or rallies.Students mostly never knew what they scored. It was used for placement in reading and math and each grade's higher and lower grades. Now, since we can't tell students anything except that they are great plus they are victims, the tests are used to win govt money.

Endless tests during the year are demoralizing and take away much time from instruction--- but that's the point; isn't it? Ignore the real strengths and weaknesses and focus on social/emotional garbage and victim studies . This generation will be handicapped with low skills to offer and high expectations of what they feel they are owed by this life. It is a recipe for failure and will be disastrous for America's future prosperity-- but that's also the point and the goal of all this.

"or via some gentle nudging"

Liars in the comments section just consistently fabricate stories of corruption to malign people who are actually working hard to make New Haven a better place. Why?

For many, they are a year and 1/4 marking period behind. Students passed along and now we reap what we sow. These tests if administered this year would make NH the worst in the state. By opting out this maybe the best way to save face. Even in today's classroom the mass majority of time spent is redirection. Students got a taste of being passed along and have come back to the schools in rough shape. The system should of had a better plan than just run everyone back in the building and hope for the best.

Dear RedAlert, perhaps people are not aware of this but NHPS passes EVERYBODY> A middle school student can fail EVERY subject and be promoted to the next grade. You think you can be retained for excessive absence??? THINK AGAIN/

This issue of social promotion predates COVID. COVID lockdown made things worse but they were already bad. The whole policy has to change but that will never happen.There are too many jobs at stake for political pals in the BOE and even the City of NH. All these nonsense positions are created to give pet a job. EX-- Kermit Carolina, media cooridinator, SEL directors, all the "special" assignment folks. Wake up,people. A generation of uneducated children is feeding many families who live off the dysfunction. It makes me want to cry to think about it. It is unstoppable, though.

@BevHills730

CatDude is on to something. The gentle nudge comes in the form of a teacher realizing the student hasn't prepared properly for the test and suggests the student doesn't sit for the test. Nothing corrupt about that. (But extremely sad.)

There are many wonderful people trying to make New Haven a better place, including MOST teachers. I have heard horror stories from parents who send their kids to college because their children 'earned' great grades K-12, only to be shocked when a college professor tells the freshman "You're not close to being college ready." The Connecticut Post wrote an incredible story 15 years ago about a student who went to UCONN only to be told that. When she returned to her high school and asked why every teacher gave her an 'A" her courses, the teachers said they wanted to give at least one student an 'A' and she was the most deserving due to her pleasant demeanor.

I am not mad at the teachers who 'pass' a student. They are pressured to do so, or feel bad for the kid with a great attitude. They know darn well someone above them will question them by asking "Are you sure you need to fail Susan? She is so close to making it into the next grade."

HavenKnew,

You are making an allegation that a teacher would nudge a student not sit for a test to cook the aggregate scores. Catdude implies it would be a systemic problem saying "all kids". Neither you nor Catdude have any evidence that this has actually happened. So both of you are slandering educators in New Haven.

Educators play such an important role; they were certainly many of the most important people in my life. It is too often a thankless and disrespected profession. So it is unfortunate, that you and Catdude choose to slander them here.