Scarsdale students skip class to protest tests

SCARSDALE, New York (AP) -- Dozens of eighth-graders boycotted a state science exam with their parents' blessing Thursday in this well-to-do community of doctors, corporate executives and other high-achievers.

Organizers of the boycott in this New York City suburb said two-thirds of the 295-student class skipped the test to protest standardized exams and the increasing amount of classroom time spent preparing for them.

"Our main objective has been accomplished," said Deborah Rapaport, one of the parent organizers.

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Scarsdale has one of the nation's top-ranked school districts.

The boycott is part of a nationwide movement against the tests. Critics say test preparation is interfering with the curriculum and costing students in-depth instruction in broader subjects.

Teachers and principals are increasingly being evaluated on how well their students perform on the exams. All states now require students to take math and reading tests in at least two grades, and 38 reward or sanction schools and school districts on the basis of student performance, according to the Education Commission of the States.

Defenders of annual testing say it gives schools valuable information about students' strengths and weaknesses. President Bush has proposed linking federal school funding to test results.

The parents in Scarsdale actually have the support of most school officials, who feel their community was doing fine educating its children before the tests came along in recent years.

Superintendent Michael McGill told parents recently that rather than "teaching to the tests," Scarsdale should go back to a middle school curriculum that emphasizes projects, labs, research and discussion -- even if it means lower test scores.

The boycott had elements of a military operation. Since school officials had declared that any eighth-graders who were in the building would have to take the exam, parents took turns ferrying children to and from school as each class took the test.

The windows of some cars displayed miniature "STOP" signs, an acronym for State Testing Opposed by Parents.

"We're driving them out of the school and bringing them home or to a house where there's a baby sitter," Rapaport said. "It's a rather complex operation"

Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Education Commission of the States
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