Thousands Across New York Opt Out of State Exams

It appears an increasing number of parents across the state are refusing to allow their kids to take part in state exams.

While official numbers for New York City won't be released for several weeks, the New York Daily News reports that large numbers of kids at several upstate and Long Island districts aren't taking exams. At one district near Buffalo, nearly 70 percent of kids -- about 3,000 in total -- opted out.

"It is really astounding what's happened this year," said Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez. "In New York City it's always been far fewer percentages abstaining but now even in the city you're getting in a variety of individual schools and a large number of parents saying we've had enough with this constant testing and the emphasis on standardized testing."

According to Gonzalez's reporting, 90 percent of kids at The Brooklyn New School in Carroll Gardens opted out. At one school in Harlem, 59 of 76 kids refused the exam and at P.S. 321 in Park Slope, 36 percent did not take the tests.