What if they gave a test and nobody came?

Last month, Andrew Lane, a fourth-grade student at the Robert J. Christen School (P.S. 81), was supposed to be taking statewide standardized tests. But instead, like thousands of his peers, he never put pencil to paper.

Their parents had chosen to opt them out.

On a warm Friday, 11-year-old Andrew and his father Rick enjoyed ice cream outside his school at 5550 Riverdale Ave.

“I think that state test just stresses kids out. It doesn’t do anything for the grades,” Mr. Lane explained.

Lane also opted out his older son, an eighth grader. Lane said his older son suffers from anxiety and did not need the extra stress.

“If you don’t have to take it and it doesn’t mean anything, then why take it?”

The opt-out movement has gained popularity in New York since the state started administering tests based on controversial Common Core standards. A group called United to Counter the Core said out of 1.1 million students in the state’s school system, 155,000 students opted out of the tests last month.

Mr. Lane said he found an opt-out form online and had to provide the school with a reason for pulling out his kids.

Tony Del Valle, who also has a son in fourth grade, said he is fine with his child taking the test.

“You see if your son or daughter is improving. You see if he’s learning,” he said.

“The only problem is the month before the test, all they do is teach the test,” Mr. Del Valle added. “If they were taught what they were supposed to be taught all year, you shouldn’t have a problem.”

Andrew said only one or two students in his class actually took the test. The rest joined him for different activities, like watching a movie or, in Andrew’s case, learning to write cursive handwriting.

“It was definitely over 25 percent opting out for the first test” at P.S. 81, said Marvin Shelton, the president for District 10’s Community Education Council. Official opt-out numbers are not available from the city’s Department of Education yet, but Mr. Shelton guessed the figure could be even higher than one quarter of students, saying “a significant proportion” skipped the tests.

“I don’t know what impact a significant amount of students opting out of the test would do for the school’s report card,” he said, speaking about annual school evaluations.

A DOE spokesman said the department uses test results to assess schools and identify areas where they need more support. Test scores are also used in the teacher evaluation process, in accordance with state regulations.

Mr. Shelton questioned the use of a six-hour test to evaluate a teacher, versus a year’s worth of work in the classroom.

“It’s not fair to teachers,” he said.

Mr. Shelton added that the growing opt-out movement could have an impact on middle school selections.

“Right now, a lot of middle schools look at your test scores for admissions,” he explained, so if the trend continues, the system will have to be adjusted.