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Parents and board members urge West Orange schools to stop using single test as gate for honors programs
Summary
Public commenters and board members at the Sept. 16 West Orange Board of Education meeting criticized single-test gating for honors placement and called for policy and curriculum changes to expand access. The board's policy chair said curriculum and policy work is underway.
Several parents and community members urged the West Orange Board of Education to change how students are selected for honors programming during public comment at the Sept. 16 meeting.
Mikaela Bennett, who identified herself and gave her address, told the board that her son Robeson’s path showed why relying on a single test is unfair. "One test cannot determine a student's aptitude," she said, calling the current practice "injustice" and urging the district to stop allowing a single test to determine honors placement.
Ron Charles, a former board president, echoed those remarks and urged the district to "think outside the box" and give students like Robeson opportunities even if they did not meet technical test thresholds. Charles said that advocacy and local interventions helped provide opportunities in the past and asked the board to consider how many other students might have been excluded by the process.
Mister Stevenson, the board policy chair, acknowledged the public comments, described changes already under way and said the district has implemented a new K–5 ELA and math curriculum that is being reviewed. "We're working on it as a board, from a policy standpoint to ensure that families across, West Orange have an opportunity similar to yours," Stevenson said, noting the district's goal of expanding access without arbitrary restrictions. A district representative also said staff is working to communicate where instructional improvements will be made.
The exchange included discussion of parent advocacy and the limits of a single assessment as a predictor of long-term success; board members described ongoing curriculum reviews and committee work intended to reduce barriers such as math-as-gatekeeper. The board did not adopt a specific policy change at the meeting but recorded the public comment and reiterated that curriculum and policy reviews are in progress.
