Metro

GOP candidate Astorino’s kids will not take ‘Common Core’ tests

GOP gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino said Monday he won’t allow his kids to take the controversial Common Core exams, lest they become “guinea pigs” for a botched program.

“They will opt out, as is their legal right,” Astorino said of the protest over what he called “Cuomo’s Common Core.”

The state Board of Regents — which is not appointed by the governor — adopted the more rigorous standards to help prepare students for the global marketplace.

When the tests were first implemented last year, test scores plummeted — igniting a parent revolt.

The teachers union and educators also complained that Albany rammed through the new standards without adequate preparation.

“Our children aren’t guinea pigs, Governor Cuomo,” said Astorino, who lives in Hawthorne and has a son, Sean, in fifth grade, a daughter, Kiley, in third grade, and a pre-school-age daughter, Ashlin.

Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch questioned why anyone would try to undercut the tougher exams.

“You come out against standards and you contribute to the decline of America. Shame on us,” she said.

While Cuomo has been a critic of the Common Core rollout, he has backed higher standards.