A reader submits a model opt out letter for parents in New York:
“If anyone is interested in refusing the state assessments or know someone who is:
REFUSAL LETTER:
Dear Board of Education, Superintendent, Principals, and Teachers of ________________ school district,
We are writing today to formally inform the __________ school district of our decision to refuse to allow our child _____________ to participate in any local assessments tied to APPR for the 2013-2014 school year. My child will be scored as a “refusal”, with a final score of “999” and a standard achieved code of 96, on all State testing including ELA, Math and Science as described in the NYS Student Information Repository System (SIRS) Manual on page 63.
Our refusal should in no way reflect on the teachers, administration, or school board. This was not an easy decision for us, but we feel that we have no other choice. We simply see these tests as harmful, expensive, unfair, and a waste of time and valuable resources.
This year we will show effort to eliminate unnecessary and harmful assessments in our public schools. Our child will not participate in any assessments other than those solely for the use of the individual classroom teacher.
We refuse to allow any data to be used for purposes other than the individual teacher’s own formative or cumulative assessment. Any assessment whose data is used to determine school ranking, teacher effectiveness, state or federal longitudinal studies or any other purpose other than for the individual classroom teacher’s own use to improve his or her instruction will not be presented to our child.
To be clear, our children will not participate in the following:
➢ Any so-called “benchmark” exams whether they are teacher-designed or not, since these exams are imposed by entities other than the individual teacher.
➢ Pre–assessments connected to “Student Learning Objectives”.
➢ Any progress-monitoring or RTI assessments such as AIMSweb, MAP, or STAR
➢ Any exam used to formulate an evaluation or score for our children’s teachers or their school.
We believe in and trust our highly qualified and dedicated teachers and administrators. We believe in the high quality of teaching and learning that occurs at _____________ School. We hope our efforts will be understood in the context in which they are intended: to support the quality of instruction promoted by the school, and to advocate for what is best for all children. Our school will not suffer when these tests are finally gone, they will flourish as they have in the years previous. ________ school should have a unified policy in place to address children who are refusing these assessments.
We do apologize in advance for the inconvenience this decision may cause the administration, the school, and staff.
Sincerely,”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Rheeformish numerology, spoken of in the Rheformish tongue as “data-driven decision making,” depends upon, duh, the data.
Don’t give it to them.
Opt out.
Fabulous
would like to see an addendum regarding a constructive placement for said student while testing takes place
no more sitting and staring
Beautifully done.
What’s interesting is that the opt out is of tests tied to teacher evaluation and measurement specifically. Nothing about the letter talks about the child at all.
In fact, since it opts out of RTI assessments too, one could easily make the case that it is to the detriment of the child.
This is why people look at this and say that it is just an attempt to avoid accountability and dress it up as concern for students. Not even much window dressing on this.
Not here in NYS
Governor Cuomo is offically on record regarding the upcoming Pearson assessmenst (math and ELA, grades 3 to 8).
From a campaign ad aired on TV this month:
“The tests are premature, they are the cause of anxiety in our children, and they are UNFAIR. I will not let the test scores be held against our students. Our job is to help student, not harm them.”
Yes! This letter is awesome, eloquent, and powerful.
As a teacher for many years I would advise deleting the line “Pre-assessments connected to “Student Learning Objectives.” If the curriculum is a good one, it will have learning objectives, and the curriculum will be modularized if practicable. The student will be learning skills that they do not already have. Pre-assessment tests have no impact on an evaluation of a student’s achievement for that curriculum, but they do allow the student to determine if they have the prerequisites necessary to begin a particular course of study. Or, in some cases, in a well-designed test, to predict where the student should begin a course of study (as in, “you can skip the first six chapters with full credit”). In other words, be careful you don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
What to look for in an approach to testing: In undertaking a course of study, the student should be tested many times to see if they are mastering the necessary skills. They should be tested when THEY feel they are ready to be tested. They should be allowed to “fail” these tests without penalty in order to learn from their mistakes. Each time they “fail” the instructor should point out where their weaknesses are so that the student can correct them before the next attempt. In my classes, the students sought out classmates who had already demonstrated mastery in the skill being learned, or sometimes they even asked me! Grades were determined by the number of skills mastered at the end of the semester. Instruction was self-paced. and none of my students ever got a bad grade, although some quit at a grade of “C” to do other things. This was a high school advanced-level physics course. I also used this technique in modified form (maximum of four tests per unit) in teaching computer science (assembly-language programming) at the college level. The students gave this approach rave reviews. I got to work with students one-on-one in many cases: a very rewarding experience for both the student and me.
One last word: “tests” can take many forms. In science and math classes, I especially like the idea of a student demonstrating the skill in question at the board one-on-one. That way I can see right away where they may be having difficulty and provide the feedback then and there.
Why the objection to progress monitoring? There is often too much of it but to object to any? It is a type of formative assessment that teacher’s often find valuable. Opting out of statewide exams whose purpose is solely for teacher evaluation, which is the case, is quite different than not allowing teachers to assess students in whatever way helps them plan instruction.
The other issue that I don’t hear people on this or other sites acknowledging is the burden it puts on schools – principals primarily – to supervise students who are opting out. Just scheduling the tests is complex enough let alone trying to find an available staff member and location who can take all the students opting out. A reality check is missing here.
I don’t disagree with opting out but the burden should not be placed on already over-burdened school personnel who have no choice but to give these tests. Maybe parents could work out an arrangement with principals to supervise the students.
Maybe local school boards, superintendents, and principals could act on their rights and refuse to give the tests.
That would solve their “problem.”
Is opting out burdensome to the system and to its employees? Of course it is!!!
Did white and black freedom riders sitting down together at Woolworth store lunch counters in Greensboro and elsewhere make things more convenient for Woolworth’s franchisees and employees? No. And it wasn’t meant to. That was the point.
The Salt March. The Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Marches from Selma to Montgomery. These were not meant to be convenient.
Civil disobedience is not meant to make things run smoothly.
It’s meant to bring about change.
Just as people speak reverently, today, of those other great acts of civil disobedience, so I hope they will speak, as well, in the future of the Great American Opt Out that is to come.
rsgiac@yahoo.com
I completely agree with this opt out letter. Students and parents should have the decision whether or not they are allowed to take a test for the state. The letter should talk about the students more as a reason to why they are not taking the state test. Teachers know when the students are ready to be tested on the material. These state test may look like the child knows nothing, but really they need to learn from what they got wrong and not get penalized from it.