By Peter Elacqua
Staff Writer
MARLBORO – In response to parents who have expressed concern about the amount of testing their children undergo in school, administrators in the Marlboro K-8 School District have announced changes for the remainder of the 2015-16 school year and said they will examine long-term changes for testing in the district.
An email sent to parents states that “the district’s goal is to provide the highest quality education to our students. These adjustments remain consistent with our high expectations while acknowledging that education is not synonymous with test taking. Our belief is that Pre-K through Grade 8 should be as enjoyable as possible given our mandate to provide the best instruction conceivable for our students.”
The email highlights the following changes:
- Common assessments in social studies and science are eliminated in grades 1-4.
- Common assessments in social studies and science in grade 5 will remain in place and will continue to be one criterion for grade 6 honors placement. These assessments will not count toward a student’s report card average.
- The number of quizzes and supplemental assessments in the grading buckets across the district has been reduced. (One quiz and one or two supplemental assessments across each subject and grade level.)
- Teachers have the autonomy to design high-quality projects to be graded and placed in the grade book where they see fit.
Marlboro Citizens Against Over Testing (MCOT) is made up of parents and residents who brought their concerns about testing to the attention of the Board of Education beginning in late 2105.
“I would like to thank (Superintendent of Schools) Dr. (Eric) Hibbs for the changes he just announced,” MCOT founder Robert Daniel said. “However, while this is a step in the right direction, our children are still over-tested. MCOT will continue to advocate for more learning and less testing and we think this will dramatically improve the education our children receive.”
Daniel discussed the purpose of MCOT by saying, “The goal of MCOT is for our children to learn more and test less. Everything we are advocating for could be changed by the superintendent at his sole discretion at any time. We have been asking for the superintendent and the board to survey the community about over-testing since November and this still has not happened.”
At a board meeting on Feb. 16, members of the public addressed the issue of testing and the impact the assessments are having on some children who attend Marlboro’s public schools.
“Our schools should be instilling passion and joy in our children, not stress and anxiety,” Lana O’Brien said.
“We are not doing something right,” Jason Bowman said. “Our children are being hurt. I understand you (board members and administrators) want to be better. I want to be better, but enough is enough.”
“My daughter will enter kindergarten in the fall and while I am disappointed it is a half-day program, I wonder if I even want her in this district for a half-day,” Nicole Gross said. “I am a teacher. I cannot afford private school and I cannot afford to move. I moved to Marlboro because of the schools and the community. I used to tell people how happy and excited I was for my children to start school and now I am fearful. I avoid the topic of where I live and I am mad at myself for not knowing this was going on. I feel like I failed my family and we have not even had one day in your district.”
“You can clearly see the passion behind the parents and educators,” Jeannine Agostino said. “What are you missing from MCOT? What do we need to prove to all of you the damage you are doing to our homes, children and educators? Tell us what you need and we will bring it to you to prove there is a large community here. Let’s have this go away so we can all live normally again.”
In response to the large turnout of parents on Feb. 16, board President Debbie Mattos said, “The board makes informed decisions while keeping the best interests of our students and community in mind. We have discussions with the superintendent and administrators to continually enhance and improve our school district.
“These times of adjustment may be difficult for some; we are moving forward and adjusting practices intellectually through our hired professionals. As I stated at the meeting, we have an intelligent, honest and reflective superintendent who appreciates our faculty and staff (and) who will be making decisions based on the experiences and philosophies of administrators and teachers alike. We appreciate the public attending our meetings and always urge their attendance on any and every subject matter,” Mattos said.