Catch up on my last posts about my issues with standardized testing: Are Standardized Tests the Voice of Our Generation? and United We Test, Divided We Rebel.
These days, more and more parents are realizing that standardized tests are not truly benefiting their children in the long run and that these tests only view their talented and brilliant children as data.
How exactly are these parents fighting back against the education system and the tyranny of standardized testing? Ever heard of the Opt Out Movement? Together parents, educators, and social activists are speaking out against the unfairness of standardized testing and pushing to opt out of the tests. This community of people are fighting against the laws of No Child Left Behind because they are finally questioning the value of standardized testing.
Working in numbers, and with many proponents across the United States, the Opt Out community is seeking equality in education. They refuse to have children be viewed as numbers and want to bring back the value of education, which seems to have been lost ever since No Child Left Behind required excessive testing in all educational settings.
This advocacy group is doing an admirable job at getting information out there to concerned parents and educators across the states. On the National Opt Out website, materials are accessible for each state to see how to opt out in that particular state. For example, I can click on “Opt Out Pennsylvania” and will be provided with a guide of how to opt out of PA state tests such as the PSSAS and the Keystones. The Opt Out website guides provide the exact process a parent would need to go through in a specific state in order to have their refusal reviewed and accepted at a school. They also offer talking tips and points that can help strengthen a parent’s refusal. The fact that the Opt Out website provides this detailed information shows how dedicated the Opt Out community is to decreasing and eliminating high stakes testing in the United States. Their set-up is brilliant. Parents can no longer say they wish they were able to do something about it…because now they can. All of the necessary materials and guidelines are laid out for them. All they must do is act. All they must do is opt out and refuse America’s obsession with high stakes testing.
With all of this information available to anyone with Internet access, you may be wondering how successful it has been. CBS News reported on the movement in New York on April 15th, sharing just how quickly this movement is sweeping across America. According to the article titled “Thousands of Students Opted-Out of Standardized Tests“, 49% of students who go to North Rockland school in Stony Point, NY opted out of the Common Core tests. 49% of students in the entire school equates to over 1,700 students. But the Opt Out Movement didn’t stop there; it seeped into other counties and affected many other schools. In Clarkstown, 31%, about 1,200 students, opted out; 50% opted out in Mahopac, 41% in Ramapo Central and 38% in Pearl River did not take the tests. You do the math. I think it is pretty clear that the Opt Out Movement is spreading and spreading fast. These statistics represent New York and New York alone. Imagine the numbers if it were to spread to other states across the United States. Students, parents, and educators are finally beginning to see justice and equality in the education system.
During these protests and boycotts, parents, teachers, and students are in no way seeking the easy way out by choosing to refuse standardized testing. Opting out is one of the only means available at the moment for the public to take back control of education in the United States. A website titled NYSTOPTESTING brings up several important points that may need to be clarified for some of what the Opt Out Movement is not. I have listed them below:
OPT-OUT is:
1. NOT an easy way out for students. Opting out is not a method to go easy on our children to prevent failure in any way. Failing at a task can build character, look at some of our greatest inventors-they failed and tried and tried again.
2. NOT an attack on our children’s teachers. Boycotting high-stakes tests is not a way to hurt our teachers, in fact most teachers support opting out because they see the harm in the testing culture that is controlling our schools.
3. NOT an attack on our children’s schools. Opting out our children will save our schools from financial and educational harm caused by corporate high-stakes testing machine.
4. NOT a protest against using tests in our classrooms. Tests given by our teachers, grade levels and schools are one way to assess our children. Evaluating our children properly requires a variety of methods that our teachers complete on a daily basis. Sadly the high-stakes state exams focus on one test score to determine the progress and quality of our children, teachers and schools.
5. NOT a way to avoid teacher evaluation. As one test score should not judge a student, the same applies to our educators. Using a variety of methods with professional observation, peer mentoring and collaboration will help develop highly effective teachers.
Opting out IS a way to take back control of our schools. The latest policies such as Common Core and APPR teacher evaluations in New York State will lead to an explosion of high-stakes standardized tests. The time devoted to testing and test preparation will grow to previously unheard of levels in the next few years. Parents need to say no to the “testing culture” and say our children’s education needs a diverse curriculum, creativity and critical thinking.
It is crucial, in order for the Opt Out Movement to keep spreading across the United States, that everyone be aware of the true intentions behind the Opt Out Movement. Like any movement, there are many misconceptions which may prevent it from spreading. Get educated on the Opt Out Movement and take a stand against American education’s obsession with standardized testing.
If you are a student, take a stand for your educational rights. You have every right to have a say in your education, so why stay silent? Get educated and Opt Out. Save education in America and be realized as who you really are: a student, not a test score.