If you go
What: Inside Opt Out community forum
When: 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 5
Where: Sustainability, Energy and Environment Complex, 4001 Discovery Drive, University of Colorado's Boulder campus
Sydney Chinowsky, now a sophomore at the University of Colorado in Boulder, was a senior at Boulder's Fairview High School when her class led a revolt against state tests.
Students were already taking college entrance exams, with most taking both the ACT and SAT. Many also were taking International Baccalaureate or Advanced Placement tests.
"We were just taking tests the entire year," she said.
Then they learned just a few weeks in advance that they would need to take the state's CMAS — or Colorado Measures of Academic Success — test. This was the first — and only — time the social studies and science test was given to high school seniors.
Chinowsky said the seniors were unhappy because the test included subjects — such as economics — that they hadn't learned and would take away from much-needed time in advanced classes.
"It wasn't that were against standardized testing," she said. "It was just so poorly planned and thought out."
Fairview's seniors overwhelmingly boycotted the test, with just nine out of more than 500 seniors taking it. Seniors at other Boulder Valley high schools also opted out, with only about 15 percent districtwide taking it.
"Before, you were kind of stigmatized if you opted out of these tests," Chinowsky said. "We made it less of a stigma. People really started thinking about if taking the test was the right thing to do."
Chinowsky plans to share her experiences with Fairview's protest as a panelist at CU's upcoming "Inside Opt Out" community forum on April 5.
Organizers of the event, hosted by CU's School of Education and the Office for Outreach and Engagement, say they want to explore "what is gained and what is lost when choosing to opt out of standardized tests."
Other panelists include Kevin Welner, director of the National Education Policy Center; Derek Briggs, director of the Center for Assessment, Design, Research and Evaluation; Allison Atteberry, assistant professor; and Alison Boardman, Boulder Valley parent.
"It's not meant to be about 'these are the pros and these are the cons,' but about the complexities of individual decisions that have public implications," said CU education professor Michele Moses, who's moderating the event along with fellow professor Terri Wilson. "We know that people grapple with these issues, and it's hard to make sense of what's the right thing to do."
She noted that Colorado's opt-out movement is diverse, encompassing liberal places such as Boulder, more conservative areas such as Douglas County and small, rural school districts.
After seeing widespread protests in the 2014-15 school year over the amount of standardized testing, state backed off requiring tests for seniors. Juniors also now only take the SAT, while sophomores take the PSAT. At the high school level, only freshmen are still expected to take the state assessments.
The state board also has added new rules designed to prevent school districts from making it either too easy or too difficult for parents to opt students out of the state tests.
Despite the changes, the Boulder Valley School District continues to see a high number of students opt out, especially in ninth grade.
For ninth-graders, the district's language arts participation rate was just 36 percent. In middle school language arts, the rate was 71 percent.
Participation was highest at the elementary level, at about 90 percent — but still short of the federally required 95 percent.
The continued low participation rates in middle and high school mean the test scores aren't as useful in analyzing programs or identifying if students are on track, BVSD Superintendent Bruce Messinger has said.
He added that the district will need to look at adding other assessments if participations rates don't improve.
Chinowsky, the CU student, said she can see the value in some standardized testing and is interested in talking about testing reform.
"The problem is that it's become so extreme with how much time and money it takes," she said. "We need reform for all these tests, not eliminating them completely."
Amy Bounds: 303-473-1341, boundsa@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/boundsa