Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) is disappointed to announce that his bill, the “Standardized Testing Transparency Act” (A2312) was held in the Assembly Committee on Education. The legislation would have allowed the Commissioner of Education to release all questions and content on state tests as well as data on the number of students who completed, opted out or were eligible to be tested within 30 days following the test.

“We need to provide our families with this information so they can feel confident when making their personal decision on whether or not to have their children take the new Common Core tests,” said Ra. “Students and parents deserve this transparency, as it will help them determine what is right for their families, as each family has a unique situation. By blocking this legislation, the Assembly Majority are once again refusing to allow families the opportunity to decide what is right for their children. Our teachers are also being let down, as they are caught in the middle of all this. It is already known that there are issues with the content of the tests and its administration, this secrecy is not helping anyone. Though the Assembly Majority continues to refuse to help students and their families, I will continue to fight for this transparency. We need to be open and honest about what is going on behind the scenes so each family can decide what is right for them.”

“It was disappointing that the Assembly Majority once again let down our teachers, parents and students by blocking the Standardized Testing Transparency Act, legislation that would have given families peace of mind in helping to determine if it was appropriate for their children to take these standardized tests. We have already seen a myriad of problems with the contents of the test’s questions and with how they are administered. I will continue to fight for the highest level of transparency and accountability in regards to the curriculum being taught and the tests that are administered, to help our parents make the best educational choices for their children,” said Assemblyman Dean Murray (R,C,I-East Patchogue), the Ranking Minority Member of the Education Committee.