Prosser Students Refuse to Take State-Mandated Common Core Test

Prosser juniors are joining West Side students in refusing to take a standardized state test.

The test is a state requirement called the SBAC, better known as the Smarter Balanced Test, and juniors spend the better part of a week answering tests on the exam.

But some 75 Prosser students are refusing. There is an opt-out clause in the test, but according to our news partner KNDU-TV, some parents say their students are being "punished" with in-school suspension if they don't take it. Administrators say the students are being given "alternative" lessons to compensate for the class time.

The SBAC has also seen resistance at Garfield and Roosevelt High Schools in Seattle. In the Northshore School District in Woodinville, 41 percent of juniors have opted out.

Part of the reason for the resistance is the SBAC is part of the Common Core program coming to schools, if not already there.

According to a Common Core watchdog site, this test is the precursor to the tests that will replace the current MSP test.

Many students say they and their parents are concerned about Common Core and don't want to take it because colleges do not utilize this test to assess potential college candidates.