Amy Prime is a parent and a teacher of second grade in Iowa. She is also a gifted writer.
Here she explains why she opted her children out of state testing, and she explains how to do it.
It is this simple:
“To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to inform you of my instruction to have my children opted out of any state testing for the 2013-2014 school year. “
If you live in the state of Iowa, this is all it takes to prevent your children from going through the week or more of Iowa Assessments that will be happening in most districts during the next month. You need to also write your child’s/children’s names and sign the note, delivering it to the district administration. Your child will then be registered as “opting out” and she will be provided alternate learning activities so that she does not have to stay home from school on those testing days.
There are many misconceptions floating around about this process, but it’s really that simple. Many people aren’t even aware that it is possible.
She added, for the information of district leaders, some important information about her decision:
The reality that the tests have become so important in deciding school funding and status, among other things, has led the district to begin to do constant “practice” tests on my children in the form of weekly and unit assessments going along with the current language arts and math curricular materials. I believe these tests have little to do with what my children need to know and be able to do as successful citizens and lifelong learners, and much more to do with readying them to score as high as possible on these state tests. I will continue to opt my children out as long as this district feels the need to place such importance on preparatory testing and devalue quality learning. These “standardized” tests send the message that all of our children need to be learning the same things, and proving their learning in the same way. This is a dehumanizing practice that reduces children to plots on a graph, showing only how good they are at filling in bubbles and not necessarily showing that they have a firm grasp on any given skill.
I have two children that receive enhanced instruction as gifted learners. When a child has already scored above the 12th grade level on a test while still in elementary or middle school, what purpose does it serve to continue to retest her in that subject area? I have a child who is diagnosed with autism. What purpose does it serve to force him to take tests that are known to not be a valid or appropriate way to prove what he knows and is able to do?
It is my belief that the decision to opt my children out of these tests will not negatively impact their ability to participate in any specially designed instruction that would be fitting for their learning. If I am wrong about this, please inform me immediately so that I—or their current teachers—are able to gather sufficient evidence in another, more authentic form (such as teacher referral, portfolio work, or student interviews) that would allow them to be placed correctly.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This letter got me thinking.. maybe teachers should start fighting back with this “conformity” so high and mighty with “corporate ed reform”… play their own game… What if each state union hired a lawyer to draft an “opt out” letter suitable for that state (and translated into many languages) and disseminated it to every single parent who had a child enrolled in that state’s public schools. It would be a boiler plate “Opt Out” letter and all the parent would have to do is to fill in their child’s name and sign the document. Hmmm… Just wondering how many states have found a way to make it illegal or nearly impossible to “opt out” … does anyone know?
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From my little bit of research in the Show Me State-MO, opting out is not an option.
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Duane- Let me know how I can help. Opt out is totally an option in MO! I wrote the opt out guide for our website (www.unitedoptout.com). Our site is currently down due to being hacked but you can access the guide under our files at our FB group page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/unitedoptout/ Best, Peg p.s. fyi – I am from Missouri – grew up in Jeff City 🙂
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I couldn’t find on the FB page info on MO. Where should I look?
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I am shocked Iowa allows “opting out.” What a great way to protect our kids from the stress off high stakes testing! I wish we could protect our public schools from the sanctions. Stressful assessment is not authentic. It does not do anything FOR learning. Way to go Amy!
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Thank you Amy Prime for this excellent article. It reinforces my belief that this punitive testing environment is “dumbing down” children intellectually, emotionally, and socially, as well as causing psychological disorders.
As a recently retired school counselor and Gifted & Talented coordinator for my elementary school, I have observed for the past several years that children identified as “Gifted & Talented” are having greater symptoms of anxiety and depression from the punitive testing environment. The red flags are flying but getting little notice.
The highly sensitive children (HSC estimated 1 out of 5) with predisposition to autism, and other neurological or sensory disorders or developmental delays, appear to be most impacted by the punitive environment . For these children, chronic stress is chronic “traumatic” stress. They are far too often becoming desensitized and developing depression and anxiety, as well as ADHD and other disorders that will inhibit them from reaching their potential. All children need a learning environment that allows them freedom to learn in their “style”, and to use their imagination and curiosity; however, the HSC, especially those with high spatial intelligence (the inventors and designers of the future) are the ones most damaged from this current toxic environment. They are the “fish” being measured on how well they can climb a tree.
The soaring rates of what has been called High Functioning Autism, which has the same symptoms as trauma (regression, dissociation, and constriction, etc), is now thought by many mental health professionals to be from “traumatic stress” in their environment.
All children are gifted in many different ways, and most do not adapt well to the “conditioning” that is now used for school “discipline” or “training” that is mislabeled as “teaching’. It is Behaviorism that is effective for training dogs and zoo animals, but it is damaging to children when used in the rigid punitive style like that of most elementary schools that focus on test performance and data. It is used because it conditions children to conform to rigid schedules of torture sitting in desks all day being drilled with mind numbing boring test material, and to sit comatose for long sessions of four hour tests. It is breaking their spirits and causing emotional desensitization that is high risk for psychological disorders.
We cannot afford to wait until we see more and more children with these severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. When those symptoms appear, we have waited too long and the damage is done. Children are our most precious resource, but in this current environment, they are our most “endangered” resource.
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