High-stakes testing at schools across New Mexico begins next week. So far about 500 parents in Albuquerque have opted out of the tests on behalf of their children.
Fifth-grader Anna Gilboard goes to Bandelier Elementary School in Albuquerque. She opted out. The eleven-year old said she’d rather learn than take tests for hours on end.
“I get super stressed about these tests so I don’t do really well on them,” Gilboard said. “I feel like I’m failing my teacher when I do that.”
Fifty percent of a teacher’s evaluation is based on student test scores.
According to Albuquerque Public Schools, if more than 5 percent of students don’t take the test the school will drop a full letter grade.
A crowd of high school students swarmed the Public Education Department headquarters in Santa Fe earlier this week in a protest over the tests.