Under state law, the Education Commissioner can remove school board members or superintendents who refuse to administer state required assessments. Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul says she is concerned about more districts following the lead of the Kenmore-Tonawanda School Board.
In a show of opposition to Governor Cuomo's education policies, Ken-Ton's School Board voted this week to "seriously consider not administering" the state's mandatory math and English tests to students in grades 3 through 8.
In Buffalo Wednesday, Hochul said her concern is Common Core standards are being enacted all over the United States. She believes it won't be long before Common Core principals are incorporated into SAT testing.
"Think about that. Your child is competing with students from all over the country to get into colleges. And if the parents and the school districts say, 'You don't have to be tested,' how are they going to do when it comes time to take the SAT? We are trying to raise the standards nationally because we are competing globally."
The Ken-Ton school board is seeking changes in state education funding and the board will also consider taking student test performance out of the equation for teacher evaluations. If the boycott is approved, the state could remove district officials and cut school funding.