Your editorial criticizing parents for “opting out” of testing (March 2) ignores the compelling reasons for opting out of the new tests.

No one argues standardized testing “has its place.” But Maine had good standardized tests prior to Smarter Balanced. No one complained about the prior tests. We only changed tests for a chance to receive Race to the Top money. And we didn’t get any.

The Smarter Balanced tests have never been tried, so we have no way of knowing whether they will deliever on any of the grand claims you offer in your editorial. Real world experience in New York, which has used the other new Common Core test (PARCC) for the past two years, suggests that the new tests will deliver no more information than we got before, but cost more in time and money. We will likely get nothing more in return for the greater expense and effort.

You say we should stay the course even if the test is poor. But when any other product fails its primary function, we stop using it until it’s redesigned. Parents are demanding that now.

Had our public officials and legislators not adopted the test without serious public review, we would have avoided buying the pig in a poke that has been the Common Core Standards, high-stakes testing, and teacher evaluations. Cramming these reforms down on the public only guarantees disaster.

But then, often those pushing the tests send their kids to private schools that are exempt.