POLL: Are Student Secrets a Proper Test Question?
Marlboro recently completed its NJ ASK testing, and some parents weren't happy with the questions on the test.
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The NJ ASK standardized testing is designed to test the general knowledge of state kindergarten through eighth grade students, but this year it also tested their ability to keep a secret.
According to the Asbury Park Press, students in New Jersey told their parents they were asked to reveal a secret in an essay portion of the test, and reveal why the secret was hard to keep.
New Jersey Department of Education Spokesman Justin Barra confirmed with the Asbury Park Press that the "secret" question was on the test, but was not a part of the students' scores.
But some parents, including Richard Goldberg of Marlboro, said he thinks the question was inappropriate.
According to Barra, that question appeared in 15 districts as a "field test question."
The NJ ASK standardized test of language arts literacy, math and science, surround NJ content standards and are meant to give the state an assessment of each district.
Eileen Sivartsen
12:17 pm on Sunday, May 13, 2012
Once a secret is told, it's no longer a secret. That question is a direct violation of personal privacy. Who's to say that those secrets won't be used to harm, punish or blackmail someone in some way? Conversely, what would you do if a child revealed that they were being physically or sexually abused or if a parent or sibling was abusing drugs or alcohol or was a criminal? Would you be obliged to turn the information over to the police? What if it turned out to be a fictional piece of writing and you opened up a can of worms?