Testing Opt-Out/refusal Guide For Washington DC Form Completed by Denisha Jones and Ceresta Smith List of Assessments

State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.
com

This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only.
Template revised: 9.1.14

Testing opt-out/Refusal guide for Washington DC

Form completed by Denisha Jones and Ceresta Smith

Contact information (email): [email protected]

List of assessments
Unit Assessments (formerly Paced Interim Assessments (PIA))
The DCPS Unit Assessments cover standards included in each unit as listed in the DCPS scope
and sequence documents. The Unit Assessments are administered six times a year in English
Language Arts and Mathematics for students in grades 2 8, and those enrolled in high school
courses that correspond to English I, English II, Algebra I, and Geometry. Included in the six
administrations is one Pretest, Unit Test 1 to 5.
These interim assessments are a combination of multiple choice questions and performance
based tasks. They are administered online and incorporate interactive and technology enhanced
items. Second grade students will take both ELA and Math in paper/pencil mode.

Achievement Network Assessment (ANet)
The Achievement Network (ANet) Assessment is another type of paced interim assessment, used
at approximately one-sixth of schools in DCPS. It is aligned to the ANet Schedule of Assessed
Standards and administered four times a year to students in grades 3 to 8. All four assessment
cycles are administered prior to the state summative assessment, DC CAS.
National Assessment Educational Progress (NAEP)
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) or The Nations Report Card is the
largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nations students know
and can do on core subjects like mathematics, reading, science and writing.
The results of the NAEP, assessed biannually, are used to assess progress and develop ways to
improve education in the United States.
Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)
Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assesses students' foundational
reading skills in grades K-5. The DIBELS assessments are designed to be short fluency measures
used to regularly monitor the development of early literacy and early reading skills, and are
comprised of seven measures to function as indicators of phonemic awareness, alphabetic
State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com


principle, accuracy and fluency with connected text, reading comprehension, and vocabulary.
School-wide Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI)
The School-wide Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) is a reading assessment test that assesses
students' reading levels and helps teachers adjust instruction according to students' needs, track
students' reading growth over time, and match readers to text. Scholastic Reading Inventory is
for all students in grades 6-10 and is administered school-wide each year at the beginning and
end of the year.
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)
PARCC is a new, more rigorous assessment aligned to the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) in English Language Arts (reading) and Math. The PARCC is a computer-based
assessment that requires students to think critically and solve real world problems. PARCC
stands for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career. The PARCC will
replace the DC CAS in the 2014/2015 school year. DCPS students in grades 3-8 and HS students
enrolled in subjects identified by the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) will take the
PARCC Assessment.



Special considerations for the above assessments

High school students have no exit exam requirements. Consequently, none of the standardized
tests impact graduation requirements. Additionally, students are not retained for poor results on
the DC-CAS or PARCC.

No substantive information is provided in terms of refusing the above assessments. Since PIA
and ANET not necessary for AYP and are merely check-ins for DC-CAS, it would seem that
they are good points of entry for opting out or refusing testing.

There is a DC-CAS Alt for students with significant cognitive disabilities. From the DCPS
website: "The DC CAS-ALT is a portfolio assessment given to those students who have
significant cognitive disabilities that prevent them from participating in the general assessment
(DC CAS) even with accommodations and/or modifications. It is administered to a smaller
number of students in grades 3 to 8 and 10 in Reading and Math. The portfolio is created
throughout the school year with submission during the spring."

Procedures for opt-out/refusal

For parents who choose to opt out of the testing, following are recommended procedures:

1. Submit an opt out letter to the school site administrator, which includes your rights as the
parent or legal guardian of the student (see Get Tough Guide on UOO website).

2. Provide your own written statement that you are aware you are not required to keep your child
home during the testing window.

3. Secure alternative in school academic assignments/activities for your child during the testing
window.

4. Know the legal requirements for high school graduation, but advocate for alternative
assessments to be used to determine student proficiency in the required subjects such as a
portfolio review for elementary and middle school students, all of which are voluntary and will
provide the parent with the student's actual completed work demonstrating proficiency.

4. Be adamant in your resolve to exempt your child from testing, which can include any or all the
following:
Seeking legal assistance
Seeking police protection if your child meets with verbal or physical force in an attempt
to have him/her report to a testing area
Organizing and attending regular meetings with opt out support groups or consult online
groups


Contacting any of the United Opt Out administrators for additional support or
information

Urgency for opt-out/refusal

DC is a national epicenter for education reform, especially given the chancellorship of Michelle
Rhee. There are suspicions of cheating in the District under Rhee that journalist John Merrow
has brought to light. See this link for all of his reporting:
http://shaunpjohnson.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/writing-about-rhee.pdf

A good tactic would be to demand an investigation of the DC council.

Sample language to include in opt-out/refusal

There are no opt out or refusal provisions specific to the District. But there are also no threats to
promotion to the next grade level based on test scores. Refusing testing in DC would be largely
uncharted territory with little negative consequence for the student.

Sample Opt Out Letter

Please remember to request that your child's grades, class placement, eligibility for a magnet
school, etc. not be affected by refusal. Also ask that your child be allowed to read/write silently,
work on homework, and/or sit in another non-testing class during testing. (Some students who
have refused tests have been forced to sit in class, without access to books or schoolwork, while
their classmates are testing. This is why we recommend you make your requests--and get
confirmation--in writing.) Make sure that you receive written confirmation that your child will
not be "punished" for the refusal. Also ask for written documentation of what your child will be
allowed to do while others are testing. We recommend that you email or hand-deliver your letter
to your child's principal, vice-principal/s, guidance counselor, and teacher/s.)

Dear -----------,

We do not want our child, ---------------, to take the PARCC, DC-CAS,ANET, EOC or any other
high stakes standardized tests. We believe that our childs educational progress can best be
measured using her daily school work and regular classroom testing.

We believe that a single snapshot test, such as the PARCC, cannot adequately assess our
childs skills. We also believe this testing creates undue stress and anxiety; narrows the curricula;
and enforces a culture of teaching to the test which is void of critical, conceptual, and creative
thinking. It is for these reasons that ------- will not be taking the (list tests) this school year. I
respectfully request that -----'s class grades, class placement, and eligibility to enter the magnet
school lottery not be affected by refusal of this test. Please contact me at ---------so we can
discuss the alternative classwork ------- will be given during test preparation and testing. After


our phone call, I would also appreciate a written acknowledgment of this email and our phone
call be sent to my email address, --------, or sent home with my child. Please include verification
that my child's grades, class placement, and eligibility for the magnet school lottery, etc. will not
be affected by this refusal. In addition, please document which activities my child will be
participating in while his/her fellow students are testing. Thank you for your time and
consideration.

Respectfully,
--------------------- (date)
or

To Whom It May Concern:

Please be advised that our child will not be participating in state standardized testing during the
current school year. Furthermore, we ask that no record of this testing be part of our child's
permanent file, as we do not wish our child to participate in standardized achievement testing for
promotion, graduation, or school/state report cards.

We believe the following of forced, high stakes testing:

Is not scientifically-based and fails to follow the U.S. Government's own data on learning
Fosters test driven education that is not meeting the individual/intellectual needs of
students
Presents a racial and economic bias detrimental to second language students,
impoverished students, and students of color
Violates fiscal fairness in funding schools
Supports complicity of corporate interests rather than democracy based on public
concerns
Fosters coercion over cooperation with regards to federal funding for public education
Promotes a culture of lying, cheating, and exploitation within the school community
Has used the achievement gap to foster a de facto segregation that has resulted in
separate and unequal education for minorities

We understand that federal law provides the parent or guardian the right of choice regarding
standardized testing when such testing violates beliefs. In contrast to our beliefs, which are
firmly rooted in a moral code that embraces equity and fairness, we believe such testing is not in
the best interests of our child since it fosters competition instead of cooperation, contributes to
separate and unequal education for minorities, and belies our child's intellectual, creative, and
problem-solving abilities, while presenting a fictitious picture as to the impact of the pedagogy
provided by our child's individual educators.

Ultimately, our state is required to provide our child with an education in a least restrictive
environment that does not force us to go against our core beliefs. My child should proceed to
learn and develop at an individual pace following education standards that are imparted under the


guidance of education professionals, not market-based reformers, who are able to provide quality
pedagogy without fear of reprisal if students - who mature at vastly different levels and come
from diverse backgrounds that may or may not be supportive of intellectual pursuit - do not hit
the bulls' eye of a constantly moving achievement target.

Therefore, we request that the school provide appropriate learning activities during the testing
window and utilize an alternative assessment portfolio or concordant college testing score to
fulfill promotion and or graduation requirements, as our child opts out of standardized testing.

Sincerely,

Child's Name ____________________________________________

ID#_________________________

Resources and organizations

DC is home to many national organizations, like the NEA. But it is also home to many of the
"reform" minded think tanks and lobbying groups like AEI, NCTQ, and the Heritage Foundation.

Washington Teachers' Union: http://www.wtulocal6.org/

Grassroots Education Project: http://www.grassrootseducationdc.org/

Empower DC (working against school closures): http://www.empowerdc.org/

Teaching for Change: http://www.teachingforchange.org/

State specific watch-list

Become familiar with the current DC city council: http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/

There is mayoral control of schools in DC, so here is the mayor's page: http://mayor.dc.gov/

Chancellor Kaya Henderson (previously second to Michelle Rhee):
http://www.dc.gov/DCPS/About%20DCPS/Who%20We%20Are/Leadership%20Team/Kaya%2
0Henderson

Charter Schools are public in DC and are expanding, so consider the DC public charter school
board: http://www.dcpcsb.org/



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