Do you opt your kids out of tests?

I know this is a controversial topic. This is my first time dealing with this issue and I know I have to make a decision like yesterday. How do I educate myself on this? My local moms page is flooded with "must opt out" but with no reason why. If I am going to opt out, I want to have a valid reason to do it other than because I can and I'm following the crowd.

Re: Do you opt your kids out of tests?

No. I work in the testing industry, have my entire career. I believe in the power of assessment to drive instruction. I tell my kids just to do their best as they do every day in school. Life is full of assessment, they need to get used to it.

Do you opt your kids out of tests?

I was going to post something too. DD is in 4th grade, she has dyslexia & dysgraphia. We opted out last year because I wasn't able to get certain things listed in her IEP that would help her and she was newly diagnosed and I thought it would be too much stress for her for no reason. This year, we are at a new school and we discussed with her teachers and SETTS teacher. We are allowing her to take this year. She now has an IEP that allows: test read to her, test scribed for her, separate room and breaks built in. I think the tests are silly- but I also know she will be taking a million more tests in her future and it's better for her to get used to it now when they don't count against her for anything. I was totally against it last year, however we are in NYC schools and she was the only one in her class that opted out last year..it's like not even a thing here. I was told she would be the only one in her class not taking it this year and likely 1 of only a handful in the whole school if we had opted out. It's not a big deal here- everyone just takes it and moves on- no one even talks about it LOL.

Re: Do you opt your kids out of tests?

DS took them every year. I believe he is a good test taker now, because he got to practice since 3rd grade. First time he took them he was nervous, but later on he felt more familiar with the tests.

Do you opt your kids out of tests?

I won’t have to deal with this until next year but I have already decided he will take them. I will not put any pressure on him for his performance but tests are a fact of life so he might as well get used to it.

Re: Do you opt your kids out of tests?

My son is opted out. We live in the city and there aren't nearly as many opt-outs as there are on Long Island.

I do believe strongly in opting out. However, to add onto that, my son is dyslexic and dysgraphic. We have had teachers tell us that the scorers won't be able to read this hand writing so it's not worth it to stress him out.

Re: Do you opt your kids out of tests?

This is how I feel. I don't understand what the big deal is if it doesn't count anyway. It's not like if they do horribly it will bring their grades down. I do think it will make him a better test taker also and learn how to manage his time during testing. On the other hand, I don't want him to be the only kid in the class that day. LOL But that's not even a reasonable excuse.

Re: Do you opt your kids out of tests?

Just FYI, there's a FB page called Long Island Opt-out. There is a lot of information on there. I'm going to read the arguments for both sides over the weekend and then make a decision.

Do you opt your kids out of tests?

I haven't opted out my daughter. Like others have said, there will be tests in life. We just tell her that it doesn't matter; she should just take the test and not worry about it.

Do you opt your kids out of tests?

Definitely join the FB page mentioned above. They are a wealth of knowledge there. I have always refused the test for my son. The cafeteria is full of his classmates on testing days.
At our school, testing vs refusal is not openly discussed. It’s really up to the parent to become educated on what the tests mean to make a decision.

Re: Do you opt your kids out of tests?

This is my first year having to deal with it. My son has ADHD and anxiety so I'm not sure I want to put him through it. They also use it as one factor in deciding who gets the advanced reading program the following year. He's smart enough to be in the advanced, but I'm afraid the test and him doing poorly would ruin his chances. He's been bringing home practice packets though and doing ok with them. So i'm not sure what to do.

Re: Do you opt your kids out of tests?

Do you opt your kids out of tests?

We will not be opting out our DD. She told me her teacher talked to thr class all about the test and said ir was up to the parents to decide if they should take it or not. I’ve told my DD that it is just a test that doesn’t affect her grades/report card. She was fine with that answer.

Do you opt your kids out of tests?

Not there yet so I dont understand what the controversy over these tests are. I took tests standardized tests every year as a kid. I dont get it.. what's the issue

Do you opt your kids out of tests?

My DD is only in pre-k but I have no plans to opt her out.

Do you opt your kids out of tests?

My DS took them last year in 3rd grade. He didn’t have an issue with it but the few kids who opted out were allowed to play in their Makers Space during the first day of the tests so it seemed like a punishment to him (the following days they read in the library).

Do you opt your kids out of tests?

My oldest is in 3rd, and he will take the tests.

Re: Do you opt your kids out of tests?

My kids will take the tests.

I look at this the same way as vaccines. I have zero knowledge or experience in the field and trust the experts more than myself.

Exams aren’t perfect and the whole industry behind it makes me uncomfortable but welcome to how the world works.....agree with trying to minimize stress for the kids. Sad as it is, kids need to start to learn that life isn’t fair.

If my child had special needs that weren’t accommodated, I would probably pull them out as previous posters stories made a lot of sense.

Do you opt your kids out of tests?

We do not take the tests. They are not developmentally appropriate and do not count for anything anyway. I am not against all testing, we do all our district benchmarking because those tests have meaning and provide usable data. Standardized tests do not.

Re: Do you opt your kids out of tests?

Re: Do you opt your kids out of tests?

I have spoken to a mom who is also a teacher and she is opting out her daughter, who would probably do extremely well on these tests. Her reason is because the curriculums surrounding the test and the test itself cost so much money, and her belief is that for a school district to pay that much money for something so useless is unfair. She feels that the school could put that money towards something much better for the kids such as foreign language classes in elementary ages or different activities for after school clubs etc. That was her reasoning. Me for my fourth grader I’m not sure what to do I see both sides of the argument. I don’t care if he does badly and I wouldn’t care if he did amazing.

Do you opt your kids out of tests?

I have high school students now and every year, grades 3-8, I did not have them take the test. Some say, it doesn't count so there is no harm in taking it. The more that opt out, the more the state will listen that it is a broken system. The curriculum tends to put a lot of stress on the teachers and students before the tests trying to prepare them. The tests are always written above grade level and the kids most likely will not know all the information, even A students, or have the skills to successfully complete all parts of the test. We always had a superintendent who supported opting out. Yes, the world will always be "Testing" our kids, ourselves, etc., but in a fair manner. Writing a test above the ability that is going to take the test is setting some up for failure before writing their name. My kids didn't suffer and are on the path to graduate with Advanced Honor Diplomas, they took their SAT's without any issues and they skipped all of those Common Core Exams. It's a personal decision and for my kids, it was the right choice to opt out.

Message edited 3/7/2020 3:00:32 PM.

Re: Do you opt your kids out of tests?

Re: Do you opt your kids out of tests?

My son is dyslexic, my daughter is not. I do not opt out for either child. I feel it is important to have them practice testing so they are comfortable as they get older. Regardless of my feelings of the test, which is a separate matter entirely, they are leaning this material so it is helpful for them to know what they have been taught. FWIW, both of my kids have done well on these tests, so having dyslexia is not a hinderance.

Do you opt your kids out of tests?

We are opting my son out of the tests.

I barely agree with the tests he takes now and how the rubric is graded. I don't like the fact that he writes a perfectly acceptable answer to a sentence on a math test and he is marked wrong or given only partial credit because he did not answer it exactly how NYS wanted him to answer. It's maddening for both him and me.