Parents tell Lexington 01 board that upper-elementary testing volume is harming students
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Summary
Parents urged the Lexington 01 board to reduce district-required assessments in upper elementary grades, saying students are taking dozens of tests each year, experiencing test anxiety, and losing instructional time; the board heard requests for districtwide limits and greater transparency.
Parents at the Lexington County School District One board meeting on Dec. 16 urged the board to rein in the number and weight of district-mandated assessments for upper elementary students, saying the volume is damaging classroom instruction and student wellbeing.
"In third grade alone, students have had 55 assessments so far this year," parent Taylor Landis told trustees during the public-comment period. She said required retakes and local testing meant the totals were a minimum and that many children were being tested "almost every day, sometimes twice a day," leaving little time for deep instruction or projects that build creativity and engagement.
Several other parents echoed Landis. Jason Carnaval presented a side-by-side comparison of district policy and classroom schedules, saying his review found social studies scheduled for roughly 20 minutes per day and science for about 30 minutes — while district policy requires 40 minutes for each. "Policy requires 270 instructional minutes per day. Our students are receiving between 180 to 190 minutes," Carnaval said, asking the board to hold staff accountable and to ensure policy is followed.
Renee Freeland and Morgan Smith described impacts on their children: Freeland said her fourth grader cries regularly and has headaches because of testing frequency; Smith said her fourth grader had taken 59 assessments since August and is now experiencing test anxiety despite knowing the material. "When minors can't be retaken and they're worth 40% of a grade, they must do well or they'll decrease their overall grade significantly," Smith said.
Parents and presenters asked for district-level limits on how many required assessments may be given in a week, protections for instructional time, clearer grading practices (including allowable retakes), and phased implementation when curriculum or grading structures change. Ariel Myers, another parent, asked what safeguards the district used to protect students from academic overload when multiple changes (curriculum, grade structure, state standards and assignments) were implemented in a single year.
District staff did not announce immediate policy changes during the meeting. Several trustees thanked parents for the testimony and asked administration to bring back specifics and clarifications about how current schedules map to policy requirements and whether the district had already taken steps (such as limiting retake windows or adjusting assessment weights).
What happens next: parents asked the board to consider districtwide limits on required assessments, greater transparency about schedules and instructional minutes, and clearer communications about grading and retake policies. The board did not vote on any assessment-related policy at the Dec. 16 meeting.