PROVIDENCE, R. I. -- The Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union will hold a news conference Wednesday at 10 a.m. to announce a lawsuit involving the state's testing requirement for high school seniors.
The lawsuit is a follow-up to a petition that 17 organizations signed last
month calling for an end to the high-stakes test mandate. Starting with next year's senior class, high school graduation is tied to a state test called the New England Common Assessment or NECAP.
Approximately 4,000 students face the risk of not graduating next year based on their existing NECAP scores.
Opposition to the testing requirement has built over the past six months, with students, parents and teachers arguing that the test is unfair, especially for urban and minority students who haven't been adequately prepared to understand the material.
Educators have faulted the test because they say it was not designed to be used as a so-called high-stakes test.
State Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist has come under heavy criticism for her refusal to back down on the testing mandate, and, at one point, her fate in Rhode Island appeared tied to the NECAP. She recently received a two-year extension of her contract after a protracted closed-door discussion by members of the Rhode Island Board of Education, which oversees K-12 and the three public colleges.
The General Assembly recently passed a non-binding resolution expressing their objection to using the NECAP as a gateway for graduation.
Students who fail to earn a score of partial proficiency on the NECAP have a chance to retake the test during their senior year. They may also take an alternate test like the SAT or the Accuplacer.