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