Education Advocates Across New York Call for a Ban on Standardized Testing in Pre-K Through Second Grade
(Long Island, NY) Instead of coloring in the lines, students as young as four years old are being asked to fill in the bubbles on standardized tests. An excessive use of standardized testing has shifted the focus away from the most basic elements of a quality education: teaching and learning. During the vital years between pre-K and second grade, the focus should be on developing students’ cognitive skills, building their educational foundation, and instilling in them a love of learning. Bubble tests do not accomplish any of these goals.
Education advocates across New York State are putting forth a petition calling on Governor Cuomo, the state Legislature, and the New York State Education Department to ban standardized testing in pre-kindergarten through second grade. The education groups supporting this ban include: the Alliance for Quality Education, United Federation of Teachers, New York State United Teachers, Citizen Action of New York, New York Communities for Change, Coalition for Educational Justice, New York State Allies for Public Education.
“As a mother of two four-year-old boys, I want them to love learning. Right now, they come home from pre-K excited to sing the new song they learned or pick out their favorite book for me to read to them. They are learning to interact with other kids and be curious about things. You can’t test that. There is no bubble to fill in to measure whether a child is learning how to socialize, how to share, how to be respectful. You cannot measure a child’s love for learning with a bubble test,” said Angelica Rivera, parent leader in Buffalo with Citizen Action of New York and the Alliance for Quality Education.
“Students should be exploring their creativity not stifling it with time spent filling in bubbles,” said Billy Easton, Executive Director of the Alliance for Quality. “Pre-K through second grade are vital years in a child’s development. Not only is this the first stone set in their educational foundation, but during this time they are learning to interact socially with their peers, regulate their emotions, and explore their creativity. New York State cannot expect student success without first instilling in students at a young age a love for learning. Standardized testing will not accomplish this.”
“For our youngest students, it’s time to burst the standardized testing bubble,” said Karen Scharff, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York. “Kids should be learning to love school, not fearing standardized tests.”
“Children in grades pre-K to second grade are just entering the education cycle. At this age, learning must be fun or children will forever feel negative about school,” said Eric Mihelbergel, parent and founding member of New York State Allies for Public Education. “Testing in grades pre-K to second grade is unnecessary and is an extreme shut-down for young children. We need less testing and more learning.”
