While the Tennessee Department of Education can’t provide statewide numbers at this point, anecdotal evidence suggests that more and more parents are insisting that their children be allowed to opt out of TNReady (standardized testing). The movement comes a year after mass numbers of students refused tests in other states, including New York,Washington and Colorado.
Many parents behind “opt out” say they’re not against standardized testing altogether. But they do think schools spend too much time preparing for and administering the tests.
They are concerned that the tests measure test-taking skills more than knowledge. And they are critical of how this year’s scores won’t be returned until October, rendering them largely useless to teachers since students already will have started new classes by then.
Locally, the opt-out movement appears to have had minimal impact:
- Teaching and Learning Director LeeAnn Kight of Bartlett City Schools said some parents did decide to let their children refuse testing for Part 1 of the testing.
- Lakeland School System Superintendent Ted Horrell said, “This is not something we are hearing a lot about locally, but we are keeping an eye on it as I am aware of these concerns with testing. If parents do not want their child to take a test for any reason, they may sit and read quietly while the test is being administered per guidance from the state.”
The Lakeland district currently operates only Lakeland Elementary School, while older students attend classes in Bartlett and Arlington through interlocal agreements. - Chief of Staff Jeff Mayo of Arlington Community Schools said, “Tennessee requires student participation in state assessments by virtue of both state and federal laws which mandate such for accountability purposes. These statutes specifically reference the expectation that all students enrolled in public schools in Tennessee will complete annual assessments as part of the state’s academic standards that define what knowledge and skills students should acquire across various grades and subjects.”
There is a larger impact in other areas of the state. The week of March 13-19, almost half of students at one Chattanooga elementary school refused to take the TNReady test. Rep. Mike Stewart, a Democrat from Nashville, opted his child out.
Social media in some areas has been abuzz with parents seeking guidance on how to get their child out of testing, too. And a popular Tennessee-based blog has set forth a comprehensive guide for parents called “Choose to Refuse.”
Adding to momentum is the state’s rocky rollout of this year’s new test, which has been beset by technical problems and delays, causing parents and teachers to call into question the test’s legitimacy.
Tennessee’s testing stance
State officials insist that you can’t opt out of the state’s standardized tests, which are used to make decisions about schools and teachers — and are necessary for the state to receive federal funding, as well as know which schools and students need the most support.
Tennessee requires student participation in state assessments by virtue of both state and federal laws which mandate such for accountability purposes. These statutes specifically reference the expectation that all students enrolled in public schools in Tennessee will complete annual assessments as part of the state’s academic standards that define what knowledge and skills students should acquire across various grades and subjects.
The tests are required, emphasizes State Department of Education spokeswoman Ashley Ball.
“Given both the importance and legal obligation, our department’s policy is that parents may not refuse or opt a child out of participating in state assessments,” Ball said on March 15. “Except for situations where the Tennessee General Assembly has specifically provided the right to opt out in the law, such as the family life curriculum, parents and/or students may not opt out of state-mandated content or instructional programs, including assessments.”
Ball added that there is no federal law directly authorizing parents and students to skip standardized testing.
For the state and many educators, standardized assessments are a helpful tool to understand how students are progressing and to see if the state is fulfilling its responsibility to make sure kids are college-ready, and that all kids — not just students who are middle or upper-middle class and white, like many of the students refusing the test — are receiving an adequate education.
While other states have opt-out policies, Tennessee has none, meaning students who want to skip the test have to refuse the test when their teacher hands it to them — a daunting step for students who have disabilities or are inclined to follow rules. At some schools, the refusers have been permitted to read; at other schools, students have to sit quietly. One mom in Chattanooga even reported her son had to sit on his hands for the duration of the exam earlier this week.
Schools are in a tricky position when faced with students opting out. Districts are not authorized to adopt policies allowing students to refuse the test, or to offer alternate activities such as study hall or computer lab, for students whose parents refuse to have them participate in state assessments.
And because there is no set policy, every parent has had a different journey to refusing the test in behalf of a child.
Though the Department of Education appears unlikely to make refusing the test easier in the near future, it made efforts last year to begin addressing teacher and parent concerns about testing. Education Commissioner Candice McQueen convened a task force to look into complaints about over-testing. As a result of the panel’s recommendations, a bill was drafted to eliminate a set of standardized tests. And, in the in order to create a more relaxed testing atmosphere this year, the state is allowing students to read after testing and teachers are no longer required to cover their bulletin boards.
See the full Chalkbeat article at http://bit.ly/TN-opt-out.
The original article, written by Grace Tatter (a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), was published at tn.chalkbeat.org and reprinted with Chalkbeat’s permission. contact Tatter at gtatter@chalkbeat.org. Local information was added by Carolyn Bahm, Express editor; contact her at (901) 433-9138 or via email to bartlett.editor@journalinc.com.
