The full state count of opt outs has not been released but Newsday, the Long Island newspaper, surveyed the 124 school districts in Nassau and Suffolk counties and concluded that 51.2% of the eligible students did not take the state tests this past week. The story is behind a paywall.

“Last week, the number of students on Long Island in grades three through eight who refused to take the state’s English Language Arts exam topped 97,000, according to a Newsday survey that brought responses from 116 of the 124 school districts in Nassau and Suffolk counties. The number represented 51.2 percent of children eligible for testing — the second consecutive year the boycott has topped 50 percent.

“Some upstate school systems also reported high rates of ELA test refusals, while others have said the numbers were down somewhat. Elia told Newsday on Monday that the department would release official data on opt-out rates after state math tests are completed next month.

“Representatives of the New York State Alliance for Public Education focused much of their ire Monday on Elia’s decision last year to allow students in grades three through eight as much time as they wanted to complete the ELA and math exams.

“The commissioner contended that untimed tests were less stressful than those completed under deadlines. Alliance leaders responded that allowing students to spend entire school days filling in test answers actually heightened stress, and they demanded data on how many pupils engaged in such practices.

“Jeanette Deutermann of North Bellmore, a founder of the coalition and the group Long Island Opt Out, said in the statement issued Monday that the commissioner “has shown utter disregard for the well-being of children and opened the floodgates for abusive testing practices with little to no accountability.”

This will be the third year that large numbers of students–about 20% statewide–have refused the tests. Although the federal ESSA law requires 95% participation in every school, there appear to be zero schools in the state that met that mark.

A corporate reform group called High Achievement New York ran an expensive ad campaign to entice students to take the tests, ignoring the fact that the tests do not create “high achievement.” HANY’s executive director lives in New Jersey.

If everyone opted out, the legislature and even the Congress would have to back off their obsession with testing. Testing is not teaching. Children need more instruction, less testing.