Testing Boycott Spreads to Portland High Schools and Beyond - High School Notes (usnews.com)

Testing Boycott Spreads to Portland High Schools and Beyond - High School Notes (usnews.com):

Testing Boycott Spreads to Portland High Schools and Beyond

By KELSEY SHEEHY

February 18, 2013 RSS Feed Print

Protests against high-stakes tests spread after a group of teachers refused to give exams they say are irrelevant.

Feigning sickness to avoid a big test is one of the oldest tricks in the teen playbook, buthigh school students atPortland Public Schoolsaim to take it a step further.

Members of the Portland Student Union launched an "Opt Out" campaign earlier this month, urging peers to boycott the Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exams, a series of state-mandated standardized tests.

While their organized protest may warm the hearts of civics teachers, opting out of the state-mandated exams could '