Testing opt-out/refusal guide for: Washington
UOO State Opt Out Guide Testing opt-out/refusal guide for: Washington Form completed by Becca Ritchie - updated August, 2014 Contact information (email) [email protected] Washington State Sample Opt Out Letter (Check with your district to see if there is a form letter they use.) Dear _________, I do not want my student to take the SBAC. Washington State and our school districts should be spending money on smaller class sizes, updated curriculum, more assistance in the classroom, and more resources for our students instead of wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on standardized tests that are not a good measure of what my student has learned. Please do not pull my student from his/her classes for any test preparation activities. Please provide my student with an alternative high-quality learning opportunity while other students are taking the SBAC. Please do not contact me and try to change my mind about this decision. Signature of Parent or Guardian: ____________________________ Date Signed: ____________________________________________ Student’s Name: __________________________________________ School: ________________________________________________ Student’s Grade Level: _____________________________________ Return this form to the Main Office at your student’s school. Information found at http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/StateTesting/default.aspx Grades 3-8 state tests are not required Here is what OSPI has shared about them. Access Supports and Accommodations Guidelines Guidelines for personnel who oversee the decisions that are made in instruction, assessments, and administration of access supports and accommodations. This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only. Revised 02.14.15 UOO State Opt Out Guide Grades 3-8 Subject Grades Tested 2014-15 and beyond Reading 3-8 Smarter Balanced English Language Arts (ELA) Test Writing 4 & 7 Math 3-8 Science 5 & 8 Smarter Balanced Math Test MSP* Smarter Balanced Tests: Beginning in the 2014-15 school year, subjects included in the Common Core State Standards (English Language Arts and Math) will be assessed using the Smarter Balanced system. * Science is not included in the Common Core. Until Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are adopted, implemented and assessed, students will continue to be assessed using the MSP for grades 5 and 8 after the 2013-14 school year. The timeline of adoption/implementation/assessment of NGSS is undetermined. NOTE: If students take Algebra I or Geometry before high school, they will also take the End-of-Course (EOC) exam that goes with that course at that time. If they pass the EOC exam, they will “bank” their score to meet high school graduation requirements and will not be required to take a Math EOC in high school. High School Public school students in Washington state must fulfill all graduation requirements to earn a Certificate of Academic Achievement (CAA)/High School Diploma. One of those requirements is to pass exit exams, or state-approved alternatives, in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. High school students are also required to take a Biology EOC exam. Beginning with the Class of 2015, passing the Biology EOC exam, or a state-approved alternative, is required to be eligible for graduation. Some students may have taken a Math or Biology EOC exam before 10th grade if they were enrolled in one of those classes. If they passed an EOC exam before 10th grade, their scores are “banked” to meet state and federal requirements. They will not be required to take a Math or Biology EOC exam in high school. A small number of students receiving special education services are eligible to earn a Certificate of Individual Achievement (CIA)/High School Diploma by meeting standards in the Washington Alternate Assessment System (WAAS). Eligibility is determined by a student’s IEP team. Beginning in the 2014-15 school year, 11th graders will be tested in subjects included in the Common Core (ELA and Math) using the Smarter Balanced system. Meeting standards on the Smarter Balanced tests is not required for graduation until the Class of 2019. Assessment Requirements for Certificate of Academic Achievement (CAA) / High School Diploma This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only. Revised 02.14.15 UOO State Opt Out Guide Subject Classes of 2013 & 2014 Reading and English Language Arts Writing HSPEs* Math Algebra 1/Integrated Math 1 EOC Exam - ORGeometry/Integrated Math 2 EOC Exam Science Classes of 2015 & 2016 Classes of 2017 & 2018 Class of 2019 Reading and Writing HSPEs* - OR10th-grade ELA Exit Exam based on the Common Core** - OR11th-grade Smarter Balanced ELA Test** 10th-grade ELA Exit Exam based on the Common Core - OR11th-grade Smarter Balanced ELA Test 11th-grade Smarter Balanced ELA Test Algebra I/Integrated Math 1 EOC Exam - ORGeometry/Integrated Math 2 EOC Exam - ORAlgebra 1/Integrated Math 1 EOC Exit Exam based on the Common Core** - ORGeometry/Integrated Math 2 EOC Exit Exam based on the Common Core** - OR11th-grade Smarter Balanced Math Test** 11th-grade Smarter Balanced Math Test Biology EOC Exam - ORComprehensive NGSS Test*** * Reading and Writing HSPEs will be available to 11th and 12th graders in spring and summer 2015 and to 12th graders in spring and summer 2016. ** This test is not available until spring 2015. *** Until Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are implemented and assessed, students will be required to pass the Biology EOC. After NGSS are implemented and assessed, they will be required to pass a Comprehensive NGSS Test. The timeline of implementation/assessment of NGSS is undetermined. High School Proficiency Exams: HSPEs are comprehensive exams that measure the basic proficiency of high school students in Reading and Writing, and serve as the state’s exit exams in those subjects. End-of-Course Exams: EOC exams measure the knowledge of students in Algebra 1/Integrated Math 1, Geometry/Integrated Math 2 and Biology when they complete each course. They serve as the state’s exit exams for Math and Science. ELA Exit Exams and Math EOC Exit Exams: Based on the Common Core State Standards, the state will administer new English Language Arts (ELA) exit exams and Math EOC exit exams to align with the new standards beginning in the 2014-15 school year. This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only. Revised 02.14.15 UOO State Opt Out Guide Smarter Balanced Tests: Beginning in the 2014-15 school year, subjects included in the Common Core will be assessed using the Smarter Balanced system. Meeting standards on an 11th-grade Smarter Balanced test is a state-approved assessment alternative for ELA and Math for the classes of 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Starting with the Class of 2019, meeting standards on the Smarter Balanced tests will be required for high school graduation. Other Assessments Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs) and Classroom-Based Performance Assessments (CBPAs) The state supports the development of classroom-based assessments that are based on the state’s learning standards and help guide day-to-day instruction. State curriculum specialists create tasks and questions that model good assessments and provide them to local school districts. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) NAEP is a national assessment that allows educational achievement to be compared across states. Federal law requires every state to give the NAEP in Reading and Math at grades 4 and 8 every two years. States and school districts that receive Title I federal funding to aid educationally disadvantaged students in high poverty areas must participate in these assessments. Other subjects also are tested. Second-Grade Fluency and Accuracy Assessment Every student is assessed at the beginning of second grade using a grade-level equivalent oral reading passage. Washington Alternate Assessment System (WAAS) (ended as of the 2014 school year) The WAAS provides multiple ways for students with an Individual Education Program (IEP) to participate in the state testing system. Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) This test was replaced in 2009-10 by the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) and the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE). Washington English Language Proficiency Assessment (WELPA) The WELPA annually assesses growth in English language development by the state’s English Language Learners (ELL). This assessment tests reading, writing, listening and speaking knowledge and skills. Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Skills (WaKIDS) This program helps bring families, teachers and early learning providers together to support each child’s learning and transition into public schools. View a state testing history timeline to see the years each subject was phased in at each grade level. See Your Child's Test Parents and guardians of students who were enrolled full-time or part-time in Washington public schools during state testing may view their child’s Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program (WCAP) test booklets. These tests include: Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) End-of-Course (EOC) exams Washington Alternate Assessment System (WAAS) Developmentally Appropriate Proficiency Exam (DAPE) WAAS-Portfolio Collection of Evidence (COE) (high school only) This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only. Revised 02.14.15 UOO State Opt Out Guide Test booklet reviews are not available to parents and guardians of full-time private school students and full-time home-schooled students. Procedure & Guidelines Reviewing a Student’s State Test Booklet and Filing a Score Appeal (PDF) Guidelines for review of WCAP Test Booklets (PDF) Request to View Education Records 2012-2013 and 2013-14 School Years MSP, HSPE, EOC, WAAS-DAPE (PDF) 2011-2012 School Year MSP, HSPE, EOC, WAAS-DAPE (PDF) If you opt out: Most Washington state public high school students will fulfill the assessment portion of the graduation requirements by passing state exit exams. If students don’t pass on their first attempt, there are retake opportunities. Some students, however, may need to demonstrate their skills in a different way. For these students, state-approved alternatives are available, called Certificate of Academic Achievement (CAA) options. What are the three CAA Options? GPA Comparison A student’s grades in English courses and/or Math courses are compared with the grades of students who took the same courses and passed the exit exam. This option is available to students in their 12th-grade year who have an overall grade-point average of 3.2. Students must attempt an exit exam at least once before attempting this CAA option. Alternative Assessment Scores Students may use their Math, Reading and/or Writing scores on the SAT reasoning test, ACT or ACT Plus Writing tests, specified Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations, or Smarter Balanced assessments (starting in 2015) to show they have key skills expected of high school graduates. They may also use scores from specified AP or IB exams to meet the Science graduation assessment requirement, which starts with the Class of 2015. Students must attempt an exit exam at least once before attempting this CAA option. Collection of Evidence The COE is an evaluation of a set of work samples based on classroom work prepared by the student with instructional support from a teacher. Students must meet eligibility criteria and must attempt an exit exam at least twice before attempting this CAA option. U.S. Supreme Court: Parents’ Rights Are Fundamental The U.S. Supreme Court has long held that the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteed certain fundamental rights which cannot be removed without due process of law. One of those fundamental rights is the right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children. This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only. Revised 02.14.15 UOO State Opt Out Guide In its 1923 decision in Meyer v. Nebraska, the U.S. Supreme Court “held that the ‘liberty’ protected by the Due Process Clause includes the right of parents to ‘establish a home and bring up children’ and ‘to control the education of their own.’” (Quoted from the 2000 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Troxel v. Granville.) Two years later, in Pierce v. Society of Sisters, the Court ruled: The fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excluded any general power of the state to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only. The child is not the mere creature of the state; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right and the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations. (Pierce, 1925) In Prince v. Massachusetts (1944), the Court “confirmed that there is a constitutional dimension to the right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children.” (quoted from Troxel.) It is cardinal with us that the custody, care and nurture of the child reside first in the parents, whose primary function and freedom include preparation for obligations the state can neither supply nor hinder. (Prince, 1944 as quoted in Troxel) In Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972), the Court stated: The history and culture of Western civilization reflect a strong tradition of parental concern for the nurture and upbringing of their children. This primary role of the parents in the upbringing of their children is now established beyond debate as an enduring American tradition. (Yoder, 1972) After citing extensive precedent (not all of which is included above), the Court concluded in Troxel v. Granville: In light of this extensive precedent, it cannot now be doubted that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment protects the fundamental right of parents to make decisions concerning the care, custody, and control of their children. (Troxel, 2000) The Court has even addressed what happens when some parents do not act responsibly: That some parents “may at times be acting against the interests of their children” . . . creates a basis for caution, but it is hardly a reason to discard wholesale those pages of human experience that teach that parents generally do act in the child’s best interest. The statist notion that governmental power should supersede parental authority in all cases because some parents abuse and neglect children is repugnant to American tradition. (Parham v. J.R.) Clearly, the U.S. Supreme Court continues to uphold the right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children’s education, including the right to direct their children’s education. Excerpt from http://www.oceanetwork.org/currents/Court.pdf This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only. Revised 02.14.15
© Copyright 2024