James Cristfield, former superintendent of Millburn Public Schools, in yesterday’s New York Times, on the politics of the opt-out-of-PARCC movement:

 “There are forces united against it on the left side of the aisle and the right of the aisle. We’re also talking about things that are happening to one’s child. You mix that all up into a caldron and it does create some really high levels of interest, high levels of passion — and, shall we say, enthusiasm.”

Cristfield describes his “frustration with the movement, saying that refusing to take a test was not a right.”

What you have is a right to a free public education, and here’s the package we have for you,” he said. “You can’t choose to have P.E. on Tuesday and every other Thursday. You can’t choose not to take the calculus test.” 

Mr. Crisfield added: “I just worry about opting out as a conceit, that if it extends beyond PARCC, it will start eating away at the strength of public education.”