On April 3, 2012, one week after the release of a list of words banned from New York’s standardized tests, the New York Department of Education decided to abandon its plan to eliminate the terms.
The New York Department of Education aimed to avoid provoking heavy emotional responses from test takers by trying to remain politically correct. The Department also hoped to not upset students who would be unable to connect to certain words due to lack of experience with them.
However, after a week of controversy sparked by the release of the list, the New York Department of Education decided to pull the list. Many believed that the attempt to remain neutral had been verging on censorship.
The complete banned list of 50 words included, but was not limited to, the following:
- Alcohol (beer and liquor), tobacco, or drugs
- Death and disease
- Divorce
- Evolution
- Junk food
- In-depth discussions of sports that require prior knowledge
- Loss of employment
- Politics
- Pornography
- Rap Music
- Religion
- Terrorism
- Television, video games, and computers outside school and libraries (excessive use)
- Traumatic material (including material that may be particularly upsetting such as animal shelters or abuse)
- Vermin (rats and roaches)
- Violence
- Witchcraft, sorcery, etc.
Some terms made the list due to controversies surrounding religion. “Halloween” was thought to offend pagans, and “birthday” was thought to offend Jehovah’s Witnesses. Words that suggested wealth, or lack of wealth, also made the list.
Other words were suggested, such as “dinosaur,” which was thought to evoke controversy from creationists who opposed the theory of evolution.
Although this is not the first list of banned words to be suggested, it is the most extensive to date.
Dennis Walcott, the School Chancellor, explained that “New York’s student body is so diverse”.
“It’s ridiculous,” says Fountain Valley student Connie Truong (’13). “People aren’t curious about the offense of words until they are banned. The best thing they could do is be neutral and not ban the words overall.”
The department intends to rethink its plan of action and continue suggesting companies to remain sensitive to student circumstances and avoid evoking certain distractions that may detract from students’ test taking abilities.
