Kings Park Superintendent on State Tests: 'The Children are Prepared'

Superintendent Susan Agruso has a message for parents, kids and administrators who may be feeling anxiety about standardized testing;  “your children have worked hard, we have prepared them, now it is time to relax.”

Students across Long Island will sit down on Tuesday and begin taking state exams in English language arts and mathematics in line with the new Common Core Standards. The "Common Core" curriculum, adopted by 42 states so far, is a national standard to align student learning and better prepare them for college and careers.

“These tests are new and anytime you introduce the unfamiliar, it creates anxiety,” said Agruso who spoke with a group of parents last Wednesday about it.

“We want the students to come in rested and do their best,” she said. “We are not going to make high stakes decisions on children or teachers based on these tests.”

The transition into common core and its testing has not been a seamless. Information on test format was released to teachers just in the past few weeks, prompting teachers to send home additional material, something Agruso said was necessary, but says she hopes a lot of these first year issues will be worked out, making next year a bit smoother.

“We all agree this is too fast and I’d be the first to tell the state that, but we will make the best of it.”

The changes may come hardest for those at the midway point in grade school, such as third grade where kids are being exposed to this type of rigorous testing for the first time.

“First and second grade will have spent more time engaged with these standards, and over the years, kids will do better because of more exposure to them.”

School superintendents meet with and have provided feedback on testing changes to state education officials.

Agruso recounted a recent experience in a kindergarten classroom where the class and teacher were actively engaged and excited working in the new curriculum.

“This time there was a huge step, not typically done in elementary school," she said. “Common Core has been implemented everywhere and it is good stuff. Kids are so engaged and so exited, they are just learning things differently.”

As far as opting out, Agrsuo said there is no such thing, every child must be tested.

“These are adult conversations,” said Agruso. “Hold us accountable for test prep and let’s get through this and talk about what we are doing and how to do it. We’re raising the standard and teaching them an expectation that we as adults never had on us. It doesn’t mean that we can’t teach it to them and that they can’t do it.”