Skip to main content

Hawley calls on State Ed Dept. to clarify Common Core opt-out rules

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today called on the New York State Education Department (SED) to provide guidance to parents and school districts about the consequences of opting out of Common Core tests and what it could mean for future funding. Hawley said school districts are operating in the dark about what will happen as a result of a large number of students opting out of the upcoming Common Core tests, and that State Ed should provide more information so parents can make informed decisions.  

“I realize that Common Core is an increasingly controversial issue and thousands of students have already opted out of the tests,” Hawley said. “While I respect parents’ rights to opt their children out of the Common Core tests, I do not want them to make a decision that will negatively impact the funding received by their school districts. This is why I am calling on SED to clarify how opting out will impact schools’ funding. At this point, SED has created a complex situation where many factors are still undetermined. It is their obligation to provide direction to schools. SED has an equal responsibility to provide us with accurate information as to how funding will be impacted if a large number of students chose to forgo the state assessments this year.”

Common Core tests for English Language Arts begin tomorrow and Math Assessments begin later this month. In 2014, more than 100,000 students opted out of both the English and Math tests. Schools are required to maintain adequate yearly progress and show 95 percent participation in state assessments for grades three through eight to remain eligible for full Federal funding.

Dan Robinson

Seems like the state is holding federal money hostage based on these tests. Why sould state mandates effect federal funding?

Apr 13, 2015, 5:11pm Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

Actually, Mark, nowhere in the press release you provided the link to, does Mr. Hawley 'encourage' parents to have their children opt out of the testing.

He merely reminded parents that they have that option, and, that he sponsored the Common Core Parental Refusal Act, which mandates that school districts notify parents of their ability to have their children refuse to participate.

Apr 13, 2015, 6:51pm Permalink
Mark Potwora

Ed...Here is the headline on that story.......

Hawley encourages parents opt students out of Common Core tests.........

He also laid this claim out there.......I sponsor the Common Core Parental Refusal Act,

Sounds to me that he is endorsing parents not to take this test..This at the same time the school district is pushing the agenda to have parents have the children take the test..Very confusing for parents ...

Apr 13, 2015, 7:17pm Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

You are correct, Mark. That was the headline. Which was written by (I'm assuming) Howard.

It is not part of the press release. Howard could've headlined the post "Free beer, tonight!", if he wished to. It still isn't included in the actual press release.

And, yes, he claimed to sponsor the Common Core Parental Refusal Act. (The Common Core Parental Refusal Act NOTIFIES parents OF THEIR ABILITY to have their children refuse to participate. It DOESN'T 'encourage' them to opt out. THAT option is left up to the individual parents.

Apr 13, 2015, 7:33pm Permalink
Lorna Klotzbach

That's a very interesting article, Dave. Citizens of New York State should think about the issues it raises when the State Education Department and local school boards start talking about further consolidation in order to "save taxpayers' money!" Making our younger and younger students swim in bigger and bigger ponds for the sake of adult conveniences does not promote good education nor good childhood development!

Local control of education and responsiveness of elected officials to local people they live with and regularly meet on their streets is not perfect, but it's much better than controls imposed by distant, autocratic and unfamiliar government officials.

Apr 14, 2015, 5:52am Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

C.M. - As you only posted a link to an article, I have no clue as to which side of this 'debate' you fall on (if any).

I went to that article and read it. It appeared to me that the article was pro-Common Core. After reading it, I did some research into some of the info contained within it, and found some disturbing things.

From http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/09/19/fourth-graders-taught-about-p…

“It was really inappropriate for my child,” Badeaux said. “He doesn’t’ know what a pimp or mobster is."
”She also took issue with the school sending home a worksheet that intentionally misspelled words. “I try to teach him morals and respect and to speak correctly,” she said. “It’s hard for a fourth grader to understand Ebonics when you’re trying to teach him how to spell and write correctly". (That, from a 9-year-old's mother)
Vermilion Parish School Superintendent Jerome Puyau told Fox News the “po-pimp” assignment was aligned to a fourth grade English Language Arts standard for Common Core.
"Out of context, this word is inappropriate,” Puyau said. “However, within the Common Core standards, they do want us to discuss real world texts.”
And,
Puyau said he takes full responsibility as the superintendent for what happened – but stressed that according to the Common Core standards – the material was age appropriate.
He said there is even more material out there that would cause parents to raise eyebrows and Badeaux said she heard something similar from her son’s teacher.
“The teacher told me this was the best of the worst of the curriculum that was provided to her,” she said. “We’re not even two months into school. What are they trying to teach him?
”Regardless, the superintendent said the pimp lesson provides a teachable moment for parents and teachers.
“These teachable moments are great to have,” he said. 
SAY WHAT?!!!

Now, I may only be an old man, but, I'm not so old that I can't imagine what would've happened, had I brought home 'school-sponsored' materials with words that were INTENTIONALLY spelled wrong and/or with sexual connotations. My dad probably would've smoked the tires off the ol' Falcon, trying to get down to the school fast enough to find out "WHAT THE HELL" was going on down there.

I find it hard to believe that THE MAJORITY of today's parents want their children learning CRAP as part of their schoolwork. Yeah, they will, more than likely, learn it from their peers, their 'connections' to the Internet, etc.
BUT, I don't think the school is the place to be TEACHING it.

Apr 14, 2015, 11:24am Permalink
Cheryl Saville

“I realize that Common Core is an increasingly controversial issue and thousands of students have already opted out of the tests,” Hawley said. “While I respect parents’ rights to opt their children out of the Common Core tests, I do not want them to make a decision that will negatively impact the funding received by their school districts.

In my humble opinion, the children being educated and tested to death are more important than losing funding. Yes, districts will have to deal with these punitive laws, and as a taxpayer, I sure don't want to pick up the shortfall, if any. But what is served by total compliance to a system that is as flawed as our education system is. More mush being force fed into our country's future. Sad state of affairs.

Apr 14, 2015, 12:17pm Permalink
Brian Graz

Actually what needs clarification is Assemblyman Hawley's misunderstanding of the options. There is NO Opt-out. It's either comply or refuse.

Apr 14, 2015, 1:14pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

What I got from CM's link was that Mr. Scott Walker, just like too many politicians with eyes on furthering their political careers are politicizing the education of our children. That should be viewed as abhorrent, in my humble opinion. We owe far better to the future.

Apr 14, 2015, 5:33pm Permalink

Authentically Local