Alternatives sought to standardized tests

Erin Neff

Thursday, March 29, 2001 | 10:52 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A parent told an Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday that she should have the right to keep her son from taking standardized tests.

Michelle Trusty-Murphy, an English professor who ran for a seat on the state Board of Education last year, said she is tired of the amount of time her fifth grader must spend practicing for and taking tests.

"I am very concerned about parents' rights," Trusty-Murphy said. "Standardized examinations have gotten out of control in Nevada."

Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, sponsored Assembly Bill 64 to allow parents to exempt their children from standardized tests.

The bill would require that parents receive a 21-day notice of any standardized test. Parents would also be able to opt out of the exam within five days of the test. The school district would then be required to conduct an alternative assessment that does not involve testing.

Douglas County School Superintendent Pendery Clark said she understood the concern but said evaluations are necessary to ensure students are learning the district's curriculum.

"Testing is a fact of life," Clark said.

The committee also heard testimony Wednesday on Assembly Bill 318, a bill that would provide exemptions for pupils from the state's High School Proficiency Exam.

AB318, sponsored by Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas, also requires 21 days' notice about the test and allows the parent to request an exemption from the test within five days of the test being administered. It also requires the state Board of Education to establish alternative methods to assess the students.

Williams, chairman of the committee, said students should have an equally challenging option to test their progress. Other states with high school proficiency exams offer such an alternative, he said.

"This is not to dilute, delete or defeat the high school proficiency test," Williams said.

Williams said students with outstanding grade point averages and acceptance to colleges could not pass Nevada's High School Proficiency Exam, which is a requirement for graduation.

"This is only to allow the option for students," Williams said. "How could one test wipe out 12 years of what one person has done."

A bill related to the high school proficiency exam -- creating three types of diplomas a student can obtain based on the test's results -- is sponsored by Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas.

Keith Rheault, Nevada's assistant superintendent for public instruction, said the Board of Education would need time and money to come up with an alternative assessment measure.