Dive Brief:

• New York Regent Roger Tilles told 150 parents, school officials and other citizens gathered at Port Washington's library Wednesday that too much emphasis on new tests is a threat to the Common Core standards being implemented by the state.
• Tilles represents Long Island on the state's Board of Regents and supports the new Common Core standards, but he fears that reactions to the new standardized tests put in place this April could help the opt-out movement grow.
• Some parents in attendance questioned how Tilles was separating the testing from the new standards, as the tests incorporate Common Core material.

Dive Insight:

Parents and education leaders have questioned whether the tests were rushed into place due to the dramatic drops in scores over previous years. That teachers weren't properly prepared to teach kids what they needed to know on the exams is a major issue, though Tilles is right to assert that it isn't reason enough to throw the standards under the bus just yet. After all, Massachusetts saw less-than-impressive results early on when it instituted tougher standards on a state-level 20 years ago, but is now producing some of the world's top students.