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Some Students Say New N.Y. Standardized Tests Live Up To The Hype

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - This week, students from third through eighth grade in New York have been taking the new Common Core standardized tests in both math and language arts.

There were said to be extremely difficult, so much so that many parents across the state refused to let their children take them.

Education officials said the tests were supposed be difficult and were designed to raise standards.

Some Students Say New N.Y. Standardized Tests Live Up To The Hype

On Thursday, some students in the Baychester section of the Bronx said the language arts test lived up to its billing.

"I feel like some of us didn't have enough time because we had to do two different books," one student told WCBS 880 reporter Paul Murnane. "And then some of the passages, some of them were interesting and some of them weren't. So, then they'll drop your spirit and you wouldn't want to read. But you have to do it anyway."

"Was it harder than you thought it would be?" asked Murnane.

"Yeah and the passages was way longer," the student said.

One student said the test was "50/50."

"Some of the questions were very easy and some of them were very hard," she said.

However, another student called the test "easy."

"The kids were pretty much saying it wasn't too hard. It was pretty fair," said a parent.

On the other hand, one Brooklyn principal said the test included what seemed like trick questions and products mentioned by brand name.

The state Education Department told the New York Post that those references are there because some of the tests include unedited excerpts of non-fiction works.

Did your child take the test? Please tells us what he or she thought of  it.

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