Delaware PTA: Parents should have say in standardized test
The Delaware Parent Teacher Association is joining teacher unions and several school boards in saying that parents should have a right to opt their children out of taking the state standardized test.
The PTA’s Board of Managers, made up of the local leaders for each school, overwhelmingly voted Tuesday night to give parents power over tests. Teri Hodges, the group’s president, said the resolution is about parents having control over their child’s education.
“We feel that a parent should have a right to make this decision on behalf of their students and, if they feel that the test is not in the best interest of their students, they should have the option to act on that,” Hodges said.
About 100 representatives were there for the vote; only one opposed the motion and two abstained, Hodges said.
PTA leaders emphasize that the vote does not mean PTA thinks parents should pull their students out of testing, only that they should have a right to.
“It’s not our place to tell parents what to do,” said Yvonne Johnson, the group’s immediate past president. “What we’re saying is that parents have a right to make the decision that they think is best for their child.”
PTA leaders say the decision means they will support a bill in the Legislature explicitly allowing parents to opt out of the test and work to make sure students who don’t take the test have some kind of meaningful academic activity while it is being administered to others.
Delaware is moving to a tough new standardized this year called the Smarter Balanced Assessment. Because it is designed to measure the “higher bar” for academics set by the Common Core State Standards, the test requires more thorough answers than multiple-choice questions.
State leaders have tried to discourage parents from pulling their children out of the test, saying state law requires students to be tested and does not provide a mechanism for those who aren’t sick or severely disabled to be exempted.
State officials say testing helps teachers figure out how to best help students and is an invaluable tool for district and state leaders to make smart decisions. They also point out that federal law requires 95 percent of students to be tested and say the state, districts or schools could face consequences, like a loss of funding, if they fall below that figure.
But those arguments have not swayed a small group of vocal parents who have told their schools not to give their children the tests. Those parents, many of them teachers, say too much time is being spent testing and preparing. They say tests place too much stress on kids and testing is being used to for purposes they don’t like, such as judging schools and teachers.
So far, officials in several districts say they have received a handful of opt-out requests from parents, but it does not appear any district so far is at risk of falling below that 95 Delaware PTA: Parents should have say in standardized test:
