
Deming High Principal Janean Garney said they had about 40 students who were protesting having to take the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC tests, which started Monday.
Garney said she was encouraging the students to write their legislators because the change needs to come from the state level.
She also said students who were refusing to test could stay in the library during the testing period, which amounts to two class periods, for the next few weeks of testing.
That way, Garney said, they could attend their other classes.
The students began their protest last Thursday when they picketed outside the Deming School Board meeting.
On Friday they picketed before school, at lunch and after school, then moved the protest to Courthouse Park Friday evening and through the weekend.
PARCC tests have generated controversy across the country, with many parents and students opting out of the exams. Others are lobbying lawmakers and education officials for change.
New Mexico Education Secretary Hanna Skandera has defended the exams.