Mercedes Schneider reviewed a poll conducted by the conservative publication Education Next, claiming that the public supports high-stakes standardized testing and opposes parents’ rights to opt out of testing. Clearly the intent of the authors, Paul Peterson and Martin West, is to influence the Congressional conference committee that merges the differences between the House and Senate bills reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (aka NCLB). Respected public polls about standardized testing, such as the PDK-Gallup poll show majorities of the public and public school parents opposing the current regime of high-stakes testing. The 2014 poll reported that 54% of the public say that standardized tests are “not helpful,” as do 68% of public school parents.
Schneider challengesthe EdNext poll’s claim about opting out. She looks closely at their survey results and the limitations of the poll as well as the way questions were posed.
Schneider makes an interesting point:
There is yet another issue about the Peterson and West survey finding of “little public sympathy” for opt-out. In its opt-out provision in SSA, the House is not telling parents that they must opt out. It is simply allowing parents to make the decision for themselves. Though 52 percent of parents opposed allowing other parents to opt out, one might easily say that it is the parent’s decision, and if 32 percent of parents favor opting out, then 32 percent of parents should be able to choose to opt out. (Note: Not sure the exact number of “parents.”)
The 52 percent who opposed it could “opt in”– if they even have children who test. Again, not sure about this since Peterson and West do not clarify exactly how many parents this is or whether the parents in the study were even asked if they have children attending public school in the grades that are tested.
That makes sense. If 52% do not want to opt out, that should be their choice. If 32% do want to opt out, that should be their choice. Of course, it is not clear if these numbers represent parents with children in the public schools, the ones who are best informed about opting out.
Schneider concludes:
Education Next promotes school choice, yet it would snuff a federal government possibility to honor parental choice in the form of opting out.
Think about it: Opting out might be the only “parental choice” not riddled with scandal. (And here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here. I’ll stop now.)
A final thought:
Even if resulting ESEA compromise bill ditches the SSA’s federal opt-out provision, that does not mean that parents will not choose to opt out. It only means that the federal government would have chosen to make no blanket provision for it at the federal level.
Peterson and West reported it themselves: One in three parents supports a federal-level, blanket opt-out provision.
I consider that noteworthy. The House and Senate should, too.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Opting out of public schools and going to private school or home school is the same thing.
Free will in a free country. Testing choice is a fundamental right.
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Do ed reformers ever mention existing public schools outside of lecturing us on standardized testing? What does this “movement” offer public school parents?
We were told they were going to improve public schools. It’s been 15 years. Do they offer some benefit to public schools at some point, or are we still at the data-gathering stage?
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The survey is bad. Essentially, it’s designed to elicit the positive results it gets. You can see it in this specific question: “Do you support or oppose the federal government continuing to require that all students be tested in math and reading each year in grades 3-8 and once in high school?”
That question will be heard by respondents as “do you support testing kids every year?”. It does not sufficiently explain which type of tests, when they are given, or the stakes attached to them. For example, it needed to say “Do you support the federal government mandate that, in order to receive federal funding for schools, all states must use give standardized tests very grade…and use those results in order to rank schools…etc…?”
In other words, they asked the equivalent of “Do you support eating?” And, surprise, surprise…most people said “yes”.
In marketing, there is a plague of this type of research – designed to achieve an end not to learn the real answer.
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The ed reform movement is more interested in justifying itself than in looking at its lousy policies. The continual spin and sell, rather honest appraisal and admission that the policies they promote are hurting education, makes me distrust all info they pump out.
Which is why my kids will continue to REFUSE to test!
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Interesting priorities. 32 states can cut funding, art and music can be cancelled and teachers can leave in droves but the only time they step up and speak out is when testing is threatened. Then they pull out the national marketing campaign.
Also, can we get an admission that one of the reasons the ed reform “movement” wants testing is because testing is the only way they can rank ‘n sort schools for “choice” systems? That would be refreshingly honest. Let’s just put all the reasons out on the table instead of cherry-picking civil rights.
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They want common core so there can be a national test. They want testing so Pearson and its investors can make money. They want online testing so Gates and his investors can make money. They want online instruction so they can get rid of teachers, bust the unions, and deliver the same pre-packaged vomit over and over again, always charging per student, for a sub-standard standardized one-size-fits-all taught to the test dumbed down but oh-so-profitable “education” which will create tomorrow’s Walmart greeters, for someone else’s kids. Their kids will go to academies and get a legacy slot at Harvard, even if they have some dumb kids. Dubya made it all the way to POTUS–ain’t that amazing?
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Sing it like Michael Jackson did: …and be careful of what you do ’cause the lie becomes the truth, hey hey.
Just because the rhetoric of the reformers SAYS SO, doesn’t make it so–but they hope it makes it so.
They blamed the unions, they blamed the teachers, they had teachers put in rubber rooms and labeled them. They have done more, but it hurts my brain to list it….but, they have been successful in getting some of the people to perceive some of their lie-filled perceptions.
If “they” say the public rejects opting out–they are just hoping their lie will become the (perceived) truth. As always. It is spin, and some people are fooled, but its hard to fool involved parents and fed up students who see its all about destroying education, firing teachers, closing public schools, online education, and profit$.
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