These Brooklyn Schools Were Reportedly Punished for Opting Out of State Tests

BROOKLYN, NY — A group of Brooklyn schools, including campuses in Park Slope, South Slope, Boerum Hill and Windsor Terrace, have lost eligibility for grant funding from the State Education Department (SED) because too few of the school's students participated in state standardized testing, according to a report in DNAinfo.

The schools have lost their chance to be considered as Reward Schools, through which they could receive up to $75,000, the site states.

According to DNAinfo, the following schools — all located within Brooklyn's School District 15 — are among those being punished by the state.

• PS 107 in Park Slope

• New Voices School of Academic & Creative Arts in South Slope

• MS 447 in Boerum Hill

• PS 10 in Windsor Terrace

The NYC Department of Education deferred comment on the report to the SED. However, an SED spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.

A school must be in the top 20 percent of schools in the state in math and English performance to qualify for the Reward Schools program, according to SED guidelines.

Additionally, at least 95 percent of enrolled students must take standard state exams.

Student participation in state testing has become a highly contentious issue in Brooklyn in recent years: An increasing number of parents have been boycotting the tests, calling them a one-size-fits-all solution that ignores individual learning styles.

Those choosing to opt out have received some rhetorical support from city and state officials. For example, as noted by DNAinfo, both NYC Public Advocate Letitia James and State Gov. Andrew Cuomo have said in the past that schools would not be penalized if their students opted out of exams.

However, according to guidelines released by the city's education department in March, "there is no provision in the State statute or regulation allowing parents to opt their children out of State tests or request an alternative evaluation."

In a statement released Monday, James called DNAinfo's report "disturbing."

"The decision to opt out is a personal one for each family to make, and should not effect grant qualifications or funding," James said. "My office will be investigating these allegations to ensure that schools are not punished for personal, educational decisions."

>>> Read the full story at DNAinfo.

Lead photo by Emma Craig/Flickr