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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From the White Plains City School District and John F. Bailey. April 6, 2016:

Michele Schoenfeld, Clerk to the Board of Education reports that  87% of approximately 3,185  Grade 3 to 8 students took the ELA assessments yesterday.

A total of 414  students (13%)  of approximately 3,185 students in Grades 3 to 8 were held back by their parents from taking the English Language Arts Assessment Tests administered across White Plains’ five elementary and 2 middle schools yesterday.

Last year 10%, 327 of 3,213 students eligible to take the ELA Assessment tests in Grades 3 to 8 were held back by parents from taking the exams.

The ELA Assessments this year, were carefully gone over by 22 teachers for appropriateness and answerability by grade level.

According to a news release from MaryEllen Elia, released March 16, the tests administered Tuesday though originally created by Pearson, (the international educational materials publisher dismissed last spring as contractor for creating NYS assessments), were vetted for appropriateness by grade.

Ms. Elia in the news release went on record, assuring teachers and parents the tests this year should be “fair,” for all students each grade taking them, to wit:

“We hired a new company to help us develop future assessments (Questar, credited with upgrading Minnesota state assessments success). We brought teachers from across (N.Y.) state to review every reading passage, word problem, and multiple-choice question on this spring’s tests to make sure they’re fair. In all every item has been reviewed by at least 22 educators. Going forward, we’ll bring even more teachers into the process.”

On Tuesday, the majority of students held back in White Plains attended the middle school (grades 6 to 8). Here are the opt-out figures by grade as of this morning supplied by the Clerk to the Board of Education.

White Plains Grades 3 to 5: 7%, 118 students.

Grades 6 to 8: 18%, 296 students

Total, Grades 3 to 8: 414, 13%