Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Has anyone opted out of State testing?

Just curious how many people have done this and if there have been any repercussions. I opted out DD last year, stating that I felt she was too unfocused and anxious to be tested. I got a score report from the State that lists her scores last year but for this year it has all "REF"s (for "refused"?) where the scores would normally be and the statement "Parent/guardian refused to allow the student to test" was plastered on the middle of every page. The school already does MAP testing so this gives us very little in the way of useful data beyond that, and I'm philosophically opposed to all the test prep they do and how much time the testing takes (esp. for a kid like my kid with focus issues). I am debating opting out again, but I wonder if this could somehow, down the line, bite us if the school refuses to place her in certain programming or honor classes if they don't have these scores. She did extremely well the first year she tested (well above the 90th percentile for both reading and math). I just don't like the testing, and neither does DD. I think it's excessive.

I think the school would be happier if the low scoring kids opted out rather thsn ones that make them look good. Whether the hod it against you depends how petty they are. My experience is schools take things awfully personally.

We opted 2E DD out and were inundated with people privately voicing their agreement with our decision. So even if they officially disapprove that may not agree with their personal views.

In my opt out email I stated that I thought all the time could be better spent on spec Ed services, enrichment or just regular class work. No one could disagree...

In our district scores are the state testing are one way you can be designated GATE. Although I intellectually agree that we are testing our kids too much I just never stressed to much about it either way. Neither of my kids have had a huge deal with the testing and I had other things to worry about. And it did get me good data, for example DD who has LD did always test way below most of her classmates and it was clarification that despite that she was keeping up with state minimums. DS has always almost gotten a very high score, finds these test pathetically easy and therefore isn't stressed or anxious about it. (And he has clinical anxiety problems.) I just try to make them very low stress in our house, the only thing I ask of them is that they honestly take the test and don't just goof around.

What bothered me was when I'd heard some teachers (thankfully never mine) were sending home past tests as homework for a few weeks before the test. If I had every seen that the teacher would have gotten a scathing email from me & a letter to the principal. I don't mind the test but I DO mind mindless drill to get them ready for it from an already above average school district.

I don't know anything about what happens re repercussions in your state, but I can tell you that we opted out once, on the spot, when the testing folks were refusing to give our ds his accommodations. We've never had any repercussions from it, other than his test score report coming at the usual expected time in the mail with huge "zeros" for everything - no note that he didn't take the test.

FWIW, where we are, the scores are on your record and get glanced at and are said to be a part of decisions, but you can easily get by without the test scores. The state testing is so tied to grade-level curriculum that it's for the most part meaningless in terms of assigning kids to gifted programs. So there are always other tests considered, and if your scores on the other tests are high enough, no one even looks at the state scores as far as I've known.

The one thing that I can see your district possibly questioning is if you say test-taking anxiety is the reason you're opting out, then how can that be if she's doing so well on MAP. Do you have to give a reason?

polarbear

DD claims she can do tests on the computer, but the paper-pencil ones are too stressful (sounds like dysgraphia, right!?). We have had a horrible time with her and testing in the last 6 months and I knew the State test would likely send her over the edge. It turns out the State test was on the computer this year, but I didn't know that when I opted her out. But even with it on the computer, it's still more stressful than it should be and she is excessively slow.

She did well on the State testing in third grade but I have no idea how because she is so incredibly slow and unfocused. She has developed more anxiety since then as well. I knew that even if they could get her to do the State testing, the score probably wouldn't be accurate. She did MAP shortly after I opted her out of the State test (because the school had no recent data points to place her) and her scores (esp. for reading) were a lot lower than I expected. DD said she ran out of time.

The principal didn't act like opting out was a big deal, but this is the last year in this school and then the next school--middle school-- may be looking at past scores.

I was reading an article about opting out and it said that it's the gifted students or high achievers who tend to opt out, and it deflates the school's scores. But then I also read that there are certain teachers out there who are actually encouraging kids/parents to opt out. So I'm not sure what the prevailing attitude is when parents make this choice. I thought the statement "parent refused to allow the student to test" is incredibly negative. I'm not sure if that came from her school or if it's on the reports of all the kids state-wide who opt out.

We have had idiotic practice tests come home and in third grade they did prep for literally weeks. The teacher stopped giving the gifted kids their enrichment packets, because they needed to be a part of the test prep sessions. The teacher made a huge deal out of the test and said that if the kids don't do X, Y, and Z and they don't follow all the rules, then she could go to jail! I believe this is when DD's anxiety issue developed. When the schools get the scores back, they sometimes get a "reward" designation from the State. Our neighborhood school has scores that are very mediocre (the only reason the scores are as high as they are is because of parents' above average SES), but the school loves to brag about rising scores, how great they are doing as a school, etc. When they don't do as well, they blame it on the parents and the 25 percent of students on free and reduced lunch. The whole thing is a huge racket and just hearing the name of the test gets my eyes rolling. Some schools actually have test pep rallies.

I opted my 3rd grader (now a fourth grader) last year. It would have been the first year for him taking the state testing. He is twice-exceptional and I felt like the test would have been unnecessarily stressful for him. He is tested so much as it is ! At least the other tests are useful and do something for him - such as the testing for placement in math, which was a week after the three weeks of PSSAs! I am not sure how well he would have done as he would have been totally burned out from PSSAs. Since he had relaxed for three weeks prior to the math placement testing he did well and was placed in accelerated math. Also, the school gives him the Kaufman every year because he has an iep, which at least gives me so much more info about him than the state testing and at least can be used to apply to young scholars.

Anyway, to answer your question, I opted him out and it was not that big of a deal. I kept him home for a few of the days (scheduled doc appts, he spent time with grandparents, etc.) The other days he hung out in the library, did math facts games, etc. He wasn't permitted to log any reading he did on his reading log though (eyeroll) because that w"ouldn't have been fair" but he was hundreds of lines ahead anyway ... that is not why he reads. I am planning on opting him out this year again and going to Disney!

I definitely got the feeling his special-ed teacher was very supportive of parents opting out. But the other teachers tried a little bit to get me change my mind... But they know me and knew they were getting nowhere. Other than my having to go and actually read each of tests in order for me to opt out (so boring and inconvenient), there were no unfavorable ramifications at all.

Also, my school was reluctant to admit it but I made sure the testing is not used for any sort of placement. And it is not. Not sure if maybe there are regulations saying it can't be used for placement or what. But it is not used, at all, in any way to place the student in our elementary schools. It is ONLY used to rank the schools (and it possibly affects funding for the school in an indirect way). In a neighboring,very high ranking, district - parents opted our in droves in protest. In another neighboring district (also highly ranked) the superintendent published an op-ed and sent a letter to everyone in his district about how he is opposed to the testing. So it is almost mainstream here to be against the testing...

When DD went to the gifted magnet, she was placed in the highest math group, and the teacher claimed one of the factors was the State standardized math score from the previous spring. I get the feeling that almost no one opts out so if using the scores for placement is a widespread practice among the schools here, I'm not sure what they are going to do if they come across a student who doesn't have the scores. I'll at least have her continue to take MAP if she can tolerate it.