The Massachusetts State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has been forced to pull a controversial question from the tenth-grade MCAS test after a group of Boston Public School students reported concerns over racist content.
In the question, tenth-grade students were asked to write a journal entry from the point of view of an openly racist character in Colson Whitehead's novel "The Underground Railroad."
>> Groups call for invalidated MCAS exams after question was removed
Mass. Teachers Association President Merrie Najimy tells Boston 25 News that students risked punishment for violating the state rules on discussing the test.
"Both students and educators took great risks of violating their confidentiality agreements," she said. "Telling their educators the trauma they experienced because of not only this question but then they had to sit through this traumatic experience to finish the test."
Juan Cofield, President of the New England Area Conference of NAACP, and education advocates are calling on the department to throw out this year's test and lift the gag order on reporting.
"I was very surprised and really outraged that a question like this could appear on a test so important to the students. The whole issue brings up a myriad of questions. Who is overseeing the exam?" said Cofield.
The department declined an on-camera interview but says the test is thoroughly vetted and Commissioner Jeff Riley sent a letter to superintendents Sunday saying, "Out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of student fairness, we have decided not to use the results from this particular question."
The statement makes no mention to its content and testing resumed Monday. Najimy says there's a renewed outcry for parents to opt their kids out of the test at their own risk.
"If you opt your students out, your school gets punished. Leveled down to four or five and at risk of takeover by a private entity like a charter school or turnaround plan," she said.
Late Tuesday, the book's author weighed in saying, "Whoever came up with the question has done a great disservice to these kids, and everyone who signed off on it should be ashamed.
The education department says pulling the question will not greatly impact students scores and they stand by the integrity of the test.