What are the ramifications if....

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
a student's family refuses to have them participate in state wide standardized testing? On the student? Friends of our family are pulling their kids because one child had a pretty extreme anxiety attack last year. Another family is considering to refuse participation because the testing is, frankly, idiotic. I would refuse Duckie's participation too if I knew the school could not retaliate (try to withhold promotion, place her in lower level classes, etc). Does anyone know or had experience in this? It's not the teachers I'm concerned about, it's the administrators and district-level personnel....
 

slsh

member since 1999
Depends on your state law. Some states require passing the tests (or an "exit exam") in order to graduate. WA state apparently has an "opt out" option for parents. I know I read recently where Seattle teachers refused to administer the test.

Did find this tidbit on fairtest.org
Nearly 200 middle grade parents in the affluent New York suburb of Scarsdale kept their children home on test day. Unusually, this boycott had the open support of the school system. Students in Rochester and Ithaca also refused the exams.
 

Bunny

Active Member
There are parents here who are trying to push other parents to do that exact same thing - "opt out" of the state testing. There was something in the newspaper about it this morning. Our state leaves it up to the individual districts as to how to handle student absences, however according to the papers, any district whee test participation drops below 95% can be flagged by the state and required to draft an improvement plan.

Personally, I think that the Common Core Standards here on New York are set way too high. If I could, I would keep easy child home on the test days, but if I allow easy child to stay home, I would have to allow difficult child to stay home, too. easy child was crying at breakfast last week because he's so nervous about the ELA test. My heart. Nearly broke for him.
 

Tiapet

Old Hand
Interesting thread. I'm hearing a lot about this lately but not that parents are angry to this degree of not allowing their kids to take tests. They are good and angry but kids still test. It's the teachers that are angry about it and how they have to 'teach to the tests' now it seems. In fact my son's science teacher has opted to retire from teaching after this year because he's had enough of it and is tired of it. Unfortunately he has been too vocal about it to the wrong people, his students! My son is constantly coming home telling me how his teacher talks about this to the students.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Interesting the different approaches.
In our first school division, the school had students opt out if there were ANY issues or challenges that would affect the results - LDs, etc. That includes exam anxiety. The theory was that these kids won't test to their "real" results anyway, and will just pull the averages down. They saw the test as an evaluation of how well they are reaching "typical" students. But... the law here allowed for it.
 

Bunny

Active Member
ICD, I wish our district would allow that, because I would opt easy child out them in a heartbeat. He does not test well, especially when tests are timed, and I know this is not going to be good for him. Even his teacher is saying she is worried about him taking these tests!!
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
Well, Duckie does test well and I'm sure some district pencil-pusher will be angry that one of the stronger students won't be particpating.
 

whatamess

New Member
It should not be a problem for a parent to opt their child out of the tests. You should inform admin. before the testing begins, as if they have to withdraw the students after that the school has to take a zero and count it toward the overall scores.
 

DaisyFace

Love me...Love me not
I'm not in the same state....so I don't know if this applies BUT

as a homeschooler - we have the option whether to have our student take the state assessments. Two years in a row...our son did NOT take the state test. It wasn't a big deal until PSATs came around - then they wanted to have the scores from the previous year's state tests. No tests = no scores....so the school was not going to allow him to take the PSAT as an 8th grader.

That's the only ramifications I can think of: situations in which those test scores are going to be required on some future form. No test score may end up disqualifying your student from something, somewhere down the line. That's what happened to us.
 

Bunny

Active Member
My sister in law homeschools her kids and they live in the same state as us. Our state requires that homeschool kids take a test that is approved by the state as an equivalent to the state ELA and math tests. She is not happy about it, either.
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
I can imagine its pretty nerve-wracking for a home-schooled student to take these tests. Sheesh.

So now I know of 4 students that will be refusing the tests, they are all 6th graders at Duckie's school. Including Duckie's BFF.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I know we took some tests back in the dark ages but it isnt to the extent they do it now. In fact, my senior year was the first class that took the exit exam for graduation in VA. (I got the second highest score in VA!) But I test extremely well even on topics I dont know well because I almost see a pattern in bubble tests. All my boys have the same ability. If we can start the the test well, we can flow it. However back then teachers werent teaching to any exams. They taught subjects and you hoped that you knew the subject well enough to pass the tests.

I have long complained about teaching to the tests. That doesnt teach a kid anything except whats on a test. Where is the love for learning? How are they going to learn to actually study for classes that test in ways other than bubble tests?

I actually have bought Keyana a bunch of old Step into Reading books and I am willing to bet that some of the information in some of them she will only get out of these books because it wont be taught in the schools. Two of the books are about the space program. The Apollo space program. I will bet they dont cover that anymore. I will make sure she learns about it though.
 

Bunny

Active Member
I don't know about the math test, but the ELA test here is alot of writing now, which is hard for easy child, and I know that the teachers are concerned. This is going to be tough for alot of kids out there.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Speaking of testing and schooling in general...has anyone heard of the new math that they are talking about rolling out?

I saw it and I swear if they do this I wont even be able to help Keyana at all with her math homework at all because it makes no sense at all to me. And the kids have to show their work the "correct" way or its counted wrong. Now as far as Im concerned this new way is wrong so if I helped her she would get the answers all wrong. LOL.

I cant figure out why they have to change what works. Its something about adding and subtracting two digit numbers.
 
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