New York: A Sample Opt Out Letter

13 Comments Post your own

1. Stef's Reflections on Teaching says:

   February 24, 2021 at 2:40 pm

   Opting out is great but hard for many parents to get to on their to do list.

   I plan to call legislators but maybe we should be pushing for parents to opt into testing. If they want to have their child tested let it be their choice.

   I expect govt could save face and very few would actually choose to take this test.

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2. Jennifer Robinson Mangrum says:

   February 24, 2021 at 2:44 pm

   The homepage isn’t connecting for me. Perhaps it’s on my end.

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   • mary bardmess says:

     February 24, 2021 at 3:20 pm

     Me either

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   • dianeravitch says:

     February 24, 2021 at 3:20 pm

     Try this link:

     https://nysape.org

     Reply
3. LisaM says:

   February 24, 2021 at 2:45 pm

   And if you live in a state (like MD) that has no Opt Out, use the letter anyway and replace Opt-Out with REFUSE. You will then get the run around and you will need to support your case with other legal mumbo-jumbo that can be found on line with a google search. Lots of states have closed FB groups for Opt-Out/Refusal and they are a wealth of information on how to navigate the system.

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   • dianeravitch says:

     February 24, 2021 at 3:18 pm

     The state can’t do anything if the kids don’t take the test.
     You don’t need a law to let you make your own decision.

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     • LisaM says:

       February 24, 2021 at 3:35 pm

       Oh, you tell that to all the administrators and state Ed people I had to deal with. If one didn’t send their child into school on test days, upon return, the child would be ushered into a room to take the test. There was the admin that had children do “sit and stare”in the testing room (child abuse) for hours if the parents were successful in getting the Refusal. There were the teachers who were instructed to open the child’s test and sign the child into the test (the child could then be scored a 0). You name it….I fought it with my kids. I had to send them into school with their own books and entertainment on test days and I made darn sure that admin knew I would hire an attorney if they dared to cross me. It finally came to a point when the VP would call me at the beginning of the school year and ask me to hand deliver my refusal letter so that we could discuss how testing days would be handled for my kids. It’s not as easy as you might think in a state that doesn’t have an opt-out clause for testing.

4. ddermady says:

   February 24, 2021 at 3:30 pm

   How ridiculous to ask children during these horrific times of a pandemic and all families have gone through to take a ridiculous assessment! Time once again to make our “Opt Out” movement alive!

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5. Eustacia Wilson says:

   February 24, 2021 at 3:35 pm

   Opting out is not an option for High School students, unless they want to put graduation on hold.

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   • LisaM says:

     February 24, 2021 at 3:59 pm

     Exactly!

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   • dianeravitch says:

     February 24, 2021 at 5:02 pm

     The federal tests are for grades 3-8.

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     • LisaM says:

       February 24, 2021 at 6:17 pm

       MD uses PARCC ELA 10 and PARCC Alg I as grad requirements along with a science exam and a government exam. The state also tossed around using SAT, AP or ACT scores as grad requirements. “Federal” tests ARE state tests when you are using testing companies (Pearson) to develop your tests.

6. Oakland_mom says:

   February 24, 2021 at 4:02 pm

   LInk on how to opt out in Calfornia, including a sample letter. It’s easy. We did it. No testing this year. https://www.cta.org/our-advocacy/opt-out-of-standardized-testing

   Reply