Mark Neal, superintendent of the Tri-Valley Local Schools in Ohio, wrote a sharply worded statement about parents’ right to opt their child out of testing.
When parents asked if they had the right to opt out, he responded with this advice:
While I am not (and never have been) an advocate of the PARCC Testing, Ohio got into this testing debacle with little to no input from local school officials. Therefore, I feel no responsibility to stick my neck out for the Department of Education by defending their decisions. What’s happening now, in my opinion, is that parents have figured out what is being forced upon their children, and the proverbial rubber… is beginning to meet the road. However, it is not our goal to discourage nor undermine the laws of our governing body.
Therefore, our position as a school district is that we do not discourage nor encourage a parent’s decision to opt out their child. We must respect parental rights at all costs. This is the very reason I advocate for local control. Our own Tri-Valley Board of Education is in a much better position to make sound decisions for the families of our school district, than are the bureaucrats in Columbus and Washington. I say that with no disrespect toward our own legislators, whom have worked diligently behind the scenes to address the over-testing issue. The unfortunate reality is that the parents who have contacted the school district up to this point, are the parents of high achieving students who undoubtedly would do well on these assessments. We will effectively be rating school districts and individual teachers based on test scores that do not include many of their highest achieving students….
I am quite confident that reason will ultimately prevail. In the meantime, we will respect the rights of our parents to make the best decisions for their children while simultaneously following the laws and policies of the Ohio Department of Education.
For defending common sense and speaking plainly to his community, I place Mark Neal on the honor roll of the blog as a champion of American public education.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
it is so refreshing to read common sense statements. thank you!
I wish more Superintendents had the intestinal fortitude to speak up as Superintendent Neal has. But, unfortunately, not enough Superintendents have the backbone necessary to do so. None of the Superintendents in New Mexico will speak up like Neal has and the students are going to pay the price. The Senate in NM just confirmed Skandera. The worse education leader has had since 1912 when NM became a state.
“The unfortunate reality is that the parents who have contacted the school district up to this point, are the parents of high achieving students who undoubtedly would do well on these assessments. We will effectively be rating school districts and individual teachers based on test scores that do not include many of their highest achieving students….”
“. . . had the intestinal fortitude . . . ”
Doesn’t sound like intestinal fortitude to me. Sounds like someone covering his ass when his district isn’t graded highly. Has the supe told the district to not participate and return the boxes of tests unopened? Didn’t think so as that would take real “intestinal fortitude”.
Be careful what you wish for. welcome to Miami-Dade, FL. 24 indeed needless and redundant tests are dropped and everybody is rejoicing… prematurely. The tests, previously conducted during the school hours, are replaced with 3 types of ADDITIONAL homework in the form of “iready – math”, “iready – English” and “reading plus” computer assessments. EACH of the three is REQUIRED, minimum 60 to 90 minutes per week EACH, from the 3rd to the 8th grades inclusive. Example of an assignment: a running highlighed string runs with a CONSTANT speed over the screen, a child MUST read the highlighed words with THE SAME CONSTANT speed (that is reading plus). Another example: facts pop up randomly for a short time in various unpredictable parts of the screen, a child must answer multiple choice questions based on this pop-up info. Another example (from iready): a constant gang of quasi-cool cartoon characters impersonates kids and delivers the facts in a dull, pseudo-cool manner, flat unimpressive sentences peppered with “dude, nah, dunno, whatever, like” and numerous weed words and expressions. The facts they communicate alternate with multiple-choice instructions to react. It is punitive, similar to the traffic test grownuos take to avoid points. Your child cannot go away from the screen. They all hate it, they try to multitask, read or watch smth else while chained to the screen. The torturers who created it however made sure you child’s attention MUST befully devoted to useless cartoon characters or else a fact would be missed from the multiple-choice sheet. The experience takes time from real math, real reading, our time with kids, it is counterproductive and punitive, iready and reading plus are antonyms of education. But it seems the parents do not see the connection, that was not even hidden but clearly published: this mad nightmare was aimed to replaced indeed excessive tests that at least were not homework, were conducted at school and at least prepared the kids for the equally mad requirements of the tests they will not be able to avoid anyway when picking their colleges. iready and reading plus supress mental abilities, creative thinking, true understanding of mathematics and take any joy out of reading. After 3 min with my kid’s iready I started to hate best poems of mankind previously beloved by me as they were featured in iready and I was forced to parttake in the discussion the computer characters were having. It is damaging cognitively. Make sure when you win your war against indeed mad overtesting the tests are not replace with this madness as they are now in Miami-Dade. In three to five hours EACH WEEK this things requires (iready math iready English and reading plus, 60 to 90 minutes weekly each, minimum) for YEARS from 3rd to 8th grade we could teach our child statistical mechanics, really.
Great job opportunity in Fullerton California for a Superintendent who wants to work in one of the best districts in the nation. Please apply. We do not want to repeat the same mistakes of Florida. We are just beginning the testing process and we have a Governor who is on record of NOT BEING IN FAVOR OF NATIONAL TESTING.
“However, it is not our goal to discourage nor undermine the laws of our governing body.”
Yes, that should be your goal-getting unjust laws overturned.
“. . . our own legislators, whom have worked diligently behind the scenes to address the over-testing issue.”
What, those legislators are too chicken to take a stand publicly. CS’s all who hide “behind the scene”.
D.S.,
The heavy lifting will have to come from parents, students and taxpayers. Neal may be working behind the scenes to mobilize efforts in his district and, to build a coalition of other superintendents. He’s approached legislators to no avail. He could have done less, which is true of far too many Ohio superintendents, like the ostrich in my district.
Nobody wants to be evaluated by things beyond their control. Neal may be preparing his community for scores which fail to reflect the work accomplished in his district. It may be self-serving but, it also communicates, in the absence of contrary information, that leadership has the backs of the teachers?
D.S.
On rereading, more backbone could have been on display.
I admire Mark Neal. He has to walk a narrow line with the state, so his wording is carefully chosen. However, anyone with any ability to infer can see that he is opposed to high stakes testing. He is well deserving of this honor.