At least 500,000 students in 7 states sat out standardized tests this past spring
About 500,000 public school students in seven states “opted out” and refused to take federally required standardized tests in math and reading in the spring, according to a national group that wants to reduce the use of standardized tests.
The National Center for Fair and Open Testing and its affiliated groups surveyed school districts and monitored state government reports to come up with “opt-out” estimates for seven states. They are New York (240,000 students opted out), New Jersey (110,000), Colorado (100,000), Washington state (50,000), Oregon (20,000), Illinois (20,000) and New Mexico (10,000).
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Education could not confirm those numbers, saying that states are not expected to report opt-out data to the federal government until December, and some have indicated they may not do so until February.
Test participation rates are important because the current federal education law, No Child Left Behind, requires every school to annually test at least 95 percent of its students in math and reading in grades 3 though 8 and once in high school.
Testing advocates say the public needs a clear annual measure of whether schools are educating all students, including those who have been historically underserved, and testing every student provides the best indication of school performance.
Critics say a test score does not fully measure what a student knows and blame the federal emphasis on math and reading tests to a narrowing of curriculum, an unhealthy focus on test preparation and an explosion in other tests designed to measure whether students are ready for the federally required exam.
Lawmakers in Oregon recently passed a law that allows families to opt out of state tests.
A study released last month found that the number of standardized tests U.S. public school students take has exploded in the past decade, with most schools requiring too many tests of dubious value. A typical student in a major U.S. school district takes 112 mandated standardized tests between pre-kindergarten classes and 12th grade, the study by the Council of the Great City Schools found. By contrast, most countries that outperform the United States on international exams test students three times during their school careers.
In October, President Obama offered a mea culpa of sorts, acknowledging that some of his administration’s policies, such as Race to the Top, a competitive grant program for states, have exacerbated overtesting. He vowed to help dial back the number of tests given in public schools.
Meanwhile, students and parents across the country have been pushing for the right to opt out of federally required tests. Some oppose the tests themselves, others object to overtesting and still others, including teachers unions, object to using test scores to measure the performance of schools and teachers.
Opt-out rates vary wildly among schools, and state averages can mask hot spots: Although the state participation rate for Oregon in the 2014-2015 At least 500,000 students in 7 states sat out standardized tests this past spring - The Washington Post:
