Testing Task Force

The Testing Task Force is a group of parents and teachers who have come together to extend community-wide dialogue on the impacts of federal, state, and NYC Department of Education testing policies in the daily life of our children and teachers. In the past ten years, New York City schools have implemented more high-stakes tests across more grades with more influence on teachers and students' lives than at any other point in the school system’s history. Concerned parents of 321 children believe that the increase in high stakes testing has had and will continue to have negative effects that affect all children in NYC schools: teachers face increased pressure to teach to the test; children feel increased pressure to perform; curriculum is narrowed with an overwhelming focus on ELA and Math at the expense of other school subjects. PS 321's Testing Task Force is not against testing; we believe tests are extremely useful, if they are valid and used thoughtfully and carefully as true measures of student learning and growth. The Task Force's goal is to educate the community about changes being made to testing policy and the actions being taken to influence those policy changes at the district, city, state and national level.

Co-Chairs: