Opting out of 2017 PARCC - Who has Experiencing with Opting Out? How did it work?

[Anonymous]

A year ago, this thread on opting out of the PARCC ran for several weeks.

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/444142.page

If you opted out in 2016 in DCPS, how did it go? Do you plan to opt out again? How did you approach the exercise? Did you contact OSSE and/or DCPS HQ (which department?) to ask for permission, or simply state your intent? How far in advance of the testing period did you contact them? Did you inform your school's principal verbally and/or in writing? Did you seek and/or get help from an opt-out advocacy group like United Opt Out?

Did you keep your child home on the testing days for the whole day? Or did you take them out of school after attendance was taken on testing days to try to head off truancy accusations/hassles over more than 5 unexcused absences? How did you find out which days would be testing days? How much advance notice did you get of the dates? Did your school and/or DCPS HQ give you a hard time before, during or after opting out?

We have made the decision to opt out, and would greatly appreciate tips and insight from DC opt-out veterans as a jumping off point because we can't find information about opting out on DCPS.dc.gov. Child is likely to score 5s and school may twist our arms to keep her on board. I could get into our reasons for opting out (a mix of philosophical, political, religious and practical) but won't. Decision made for private reasons, and the language on testing in the 2015 Every Child Succeeds Act appears to support it. Thanks a lot.

[Anonymous]

From the Washington Post last year:

"Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson said that more than 100 Wilson parents unsuccessfully sought permission for their children to “opt out” of PARCC, which came the week before Advanced Placement exams and in the middle of AP review sessions."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/dc-students-post-modest-gains-in-paarc-test-scores-wilson-high-school-sees-dramatic-drop/2016/08/30/eee76024-6e35-11e6-8365-b19e428a975e_story.html?utm_term=.de2a503cbe90

[Anonymous]

I don't know the answer to the OP's question, but re the first response to it, we have a Wilson student who will be taking 3 AP exams. If any of my child's PARCC tests are scheduled at the same time as his AP review sessions, I (and hundreds of other parents) will be LIVID, and we will find a way for the AP review session to take priority.

Wilson and DCPS got their free mess-up last year; if they do it again this year, people will raise hell. Frankly, I'm exhausted by DCPS's efforts to sabotage anything in the system that threatens to resemble success. Wilson's AP classes are just one example.

And no, we have never asked for special exemptions for our kids for anything before, and my kid took the PARCC last year and did quite well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know the answer to the OP's question, but re the first response to it, we have a Wilson student who will be taking 3 AP exams. If any of my child's PARCC tests are scheduled at the same time as his AP review sessions, I (and hundreds of other parents) will be LIVID, and we will find a way for the AP review session to take priority.

Wilson and DCPS got their free mess-up last year; if they do it again this year, people will raise hell. Frankly, I'm exhausted by DCPS's efforts to sabotage anything in the system that threatens to resemble success. Wilson's AP classes are just one example.

And no, we have never asked for special exemptions for our kids for anything before, and my kid took the PARCC last year and did quite well.

Your child should not have to take ANY PARCC tests. OSSE only requires them once for high school - in 10th grade for ELA and the year they take Geometry. If your child took both last year, you should be good to go, according to OSSE. Press DCPS and Martin on this now. It's a waste of time and frankly makes the skews the results if DCPS kids are taking them over and over.

FWIW the charter high schools are only giving each PARCC test once.

[Anonymous]

Why wouldn't you want your kid to take the PARCC? It's a good exam and sets a high academic standard for our schools.

[Anonymous]

OP here, sorry, I should have stated that my child is only in elementary school. So OSSE can't threaten to keep them from graduating. What can they do to us if we opt out, other than perhaps hassle us over attendance issues?

I'll open a can of worms here if I start talking about how much I dislike what the current standardized testing regime has done to public education. Suffice it to say that I'd be OK with the sort of standardized tests I took in elementary school. They took less than two hours, with no test prep, or practice tests, or teacher evaluations linked to them. Families got the results a couple months later, not 8 or 9 months hence as with the PARCC.

Before enrolling my kid in a Johns Hopkins summer CTY camp, we had to submit to an hour, yes one hour in total, of standardized testing for reading and math. If Johns Hopkins only needs an hour to determine that my child is gifted, DCPS shouldn't need six days (with no GT program/reward for the child and family in the cards after the results are in).

[Anonymous]

They can't do anything. But it's really tough to know what days the testing is going to happen.

Each school will have a window, and they will cycle the kids through it in various ways. The testing window will be as much as 2 weeks although you child may only be scheduled to test for 2-4 hours total (including breaks).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, sorry, I should have stated that my child is only in elementary school. So OSSE can't threaten to keep them from graduating. What can they do to us if we opt out, other than perhaps hassle us over attendance issues?

I'll open a can of worms here if I start talking about how much I dislike what the current standardized testing regime has done to public education. Suffice it to say that I'd be OK with the sort of standardized tests I took in elementary school. They took less than two hours, with no test prep, or practice tests, or teacher evaluations linked to them. Families got the results a couple months later, not 8 or 9 months hence as with the PARCC.

Before enrolling my kid in a Johns Hopkins summer CTY camp, we had to submit to an hour, yes one hour in total, of standardized testing for reading and math. If Johns Hopkins only needs an hour to determine that my child is gifted, DCPS shouldn't need six days (with no GT program/reward for the child and family in the cards after the results are in).

What I don't understand is if you don't like the current standardized testing regime then go to a private school. Just skipping the couple days of testing doesn't change that your child's whole curriculum is focused on the test. If you are willing to subject them to the curriculum then why the big fuss about the testing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, sorry, I should have stated that my child is only in elementary school. So OSSE can't threaten to keep them from graduating. What can they do to us if we opt out, other than perhaps hassle us over attendance issues?

I'll open a can of worms here if I start talking about how much I dislike what the current standardized testing regime has done to public education. Suffice it to say that I'd be OK with the sort of standardized tests I took in elementary school. They took less than two hours, with no test prep, or practice tests, or teacher evaluations linked to them. Families got the results a couple months later, not 8 or 9 months hence as with the PARCC.

Before enrolling my kid in a Johns Hopkins summer CTY camp, we had to submit to an hour, yes one hour in total, of standardized testing for reading and math. If Johns Hopkins only needs an hour to determine that my child is gifted, DCPS shouldn't need six days (with no GT program/reward for the child and family in the cards after the results are in).

What I don't understand is if you don't like the current standardized testing regime then go to a private school. Just skipping the couple days of testing doesn't change that your child's whole curriculum is focused on the test. If you are willing to subject them to the curriculum then why the big fuss about the testing.

I agree with this. The problem isn't the test. The problem is teaching to the test.

[Anonymous]

OP - just FYI in DC passing PARCC isn't required for graduation.

In MD it will be a graduation requirement, but not sure what year that's being implemented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, sorry, I should have stated that my child is only in elementary school. So OSSE can't threaten to keep them from graduating. What can they do to us if we opt out, other than perhaps hassle us over attendance issues?

I'll open a can of worms here if I start talking about how much I dislike what the current standardized testing regime has done to public education. Suffice it to say that I'd be OK with the sort of standardized tests I took in elementary school. They took less than two hours, with no test prep, or practice tests, or teacher evaluations linked to them. Families got the results a couple months later, not 8 or 9 months hence as with the PARCC.

Before enrolling my kid in a Johns Hopkins summer CTY camp, we had to submit to an hour, yes one hour in total, of standardized testing for reading and math. If Johns Hopkins only needs an hour to determine that my child is gifted, DCPS shouldn't need six days (with no GT program/reward for the child and family in the cards after the results are in).

What I don't understand is if you don't like the current standardized testing regime then go to a private school. Just skipping the couple days of testing doesn't change that your child's whole curriculum is focused on the test. If you are willing to subject them to the curriculum then why the big fuss about the testing.

I agree with this. The problem isn't the test. The problem is teaching to the test.

Not op. The tests are a problem in themselves, and teaching to the test is an enormous problem.

But a family should not have to pay $40,000/child/year just because the education reformers have gotten this wrong. Nor do most of us have the money to make it an option.

But opting out of the tests is a way to protest a bad policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why wouldn't you want your kid to take the PARCC? It's a good exam and sets a high academic standard for our schools.

On the very, very small chance that this isn't trolling...because the tests are meaningless, invalid, and distract from learning for weeks or months at a time. They're just one of a great many examples of the privatization of public education.

[Anonymous]

My kids go to DCPS school where the principal has a fair amount of autonomy in selecting the curriculum, etc. That autonomy is because the kids do well on standardized tests. I want to help keep that autonomy, so will encorage my kids to do thete best when they take the exams. Also, standardized tests are necessary for higher education placement / entrance, so would want to think carefully about what your kids lose and gain by avoiding the test, practicing strategies while taking standardized exams might be helpful.

[Anonymous]

Teaching and practicing contrarianism might also be helpful. I never took a standardized test until the PSATs. I was a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist and graduated from an Ivy.

If you think the PARCC is worth it for your family, terrific. Kindly leave those who differ alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, sorry, I should have stated that my child is only in elementary school. So OSSE can't threaten to keep them from graduating. What can they do to us if we opt out, other than perhaps hassle us over attendance issues?

I'll open a can of worms here if I start talking about how much I dislike what the current standardized testing regime has done to public education. Suffice it to say that I'd be OK with the sort of standardized tests I took in elementary school. They took less than two hours, with no test prep, or practice tests, or teacher evaluations linked to them. Families got the results a couple months later, not 8 or 9 months hence as with the PARCC.

Before enrolling my kid in a Johns Hopkins summer CTY camp, we had to submit to an hour, yes one hour in total, of standardized testing for reading and math. If Johns Hopkins only needs an hour to determine that my child is gifted, DCPS shouldn't need six days (with no GT program/reward for the child and family in the cards after the results are in).

What I don't understand is if you don't like the current standardized testing regime then go to a private school. Just skipping the couple days of testing doesn't change that your child's whole curriculum is focused on the test. If you are willing to subject them to the curriculum then why the big fuss about the testing.

Nobody's making a big fuss. Some of us simply wish to opt out quietly in a free country, keeping our reasons private. Here in DC, I sometimes miss the live and let live culture of New England, where I grew up.