The United States Department of Education sent a letter to school superintendents December, 2014. This explained to them exactly what student and parents rights are in regards to the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA). This is the educational version of the medical HIPPA. In this letter, it talks about when parents can opt their child out of certain events which could cover standardized testing if read the right way!
Page 4, #1 and #7 in the below document gives the best clear reason for opt out I have ever seen. Under the section for the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, it clearly states:
PPRA may apply to the programs and activities of a State educational agency (SEA), LEA, or other recipient of funds under any program administered by the Department. It governs the administration to elementary and secondary school students of a survey, analysis, or evaluation that concerns one or more of the following eight protected areas:
1. political affiliations or beliefs of the student or the students’ parent;
7. religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or the student’s parent.
In addition, it states the following:
PPRA also concerns the development of local policies concerning…the opportunity for the parent to opt the student out of participation in certain specific activities…
A case could certainly be made for this if parent opt out ever became an issue in a Federal court. My beliefs certainly don’t agree with standardized testing in a high-stakes one-size-fits-all environment. Read the below document and let me know your take on this!
The Season Of Myths 
Yeah…regardless, they can’t force a kid to click buttons or type characters. Student resistance with full parental support will go a long way!
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Do you think a 3rd grader has the understanding to decide not to log into the computer when ALL the other kids are doing what the teacher tells them to do? Also, teachers use rewards to increase compliance. No compliance, NO REWARD for the class or a personal reward for a good job done. Your child WILL comply. You’ll get the results of the Assessment later. 7 hours of Smarter Balanced or PARCC Statewide computer assessment. NH thinks of the issue this way supporting House Bill 603. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SeYcMAoilE
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No, my daughter will not go along to get along, and her teacher is fully on board with me. She understands the importance of this as I have raised her the way I was raised: union strong. I have fully discussed this test and why it’s important that she take regular tests her teacher gives her and not this one. She occupied the US DOE with me last summer and proudly wears her “I’m opted out” t-shirt to school. She understands this is bigger than just her, and though she is small, she is mighty.
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bottom of page 6, point 3 & 4… this is how they get around it. 😦
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