DCPS opt out of PARCC

[Anonymous]

If you are opting your children out will you keep them at home? What is your school’s policy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are opting your children out will you keep them at home? What is your school’s policy?

Bit late for that, 2 weeks in ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are opting your children out will you keep them at home? What is your school’s policy?

Bit late for that, 2 weeks in ...

every school's testing schedule is different

[Anonymous]

I assume every school does it a little differently but at our charter the testing period is only 60-90 minutes a day. Wouldn't your kids miss a ton of class time if you kept them home?

[Anonymous]

Our principal lets us take our kids out of the school building during testing hours only (our au pair takes them to the local public library during testing ours).

If you really want to opt out, don't be cowed. Ask administrators if they'll work with you, in writing. If they won't, just take the kids out if you can swing the logistics, as you would for a doctor's appointment, and bring them back. The only tool DCPS has to beat up on families who opt out is attendance, so create a paper trail in case you end up dealing with a social work, or even in court. Shoot the classroom teacher and an admin an email each time you take the kid out during PARCC testing hours explaining what you're doing and be sure to save all the emails.

If you believe in what you're doing and have some flexibility in your schedule and family can babysitters on board, you can make opting out work at any DCPCS. Opting out gets trickier at charters.

[Anonymous]

Why are you not having your child take the test?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you not having your child take the test?

NP: Really? There are a bunch of previous threads that debate the reasons in great detail. What difference does it make what this particular poster's reasons are?

But if you want to engage on this, let me ask you a different question: "Why are you having your child take the test?"

There are reasons for the testing, but none have much to do with the children, at least directly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our principal lets us take our kids out of the school building during testing hours only (our au pair takes them to the local public library during testing ours).

If you really want to opt out, don't be cowed. Ask administrators if they'll work with you, in writing. If they won't, just take the kids out if you can swing the logistics, as you would for a doctor's appointment, and bring them back. The only tool DCPS has to beat up on families who opt out is attendance, so create a paper trail in case you end up dealing with a social work, or even in court. Shoot the classroom teacher and an admin an email each time you take the kid out during PARCC testing hours explaining what you're doing and be sure to save all the emails.

If you believe in what you're doing and have some flexibility in your schedule and family can babysitters on board, you can make opting out work at any DCPCS. Opting out gets trickier at charters.

jfc. your AU PAIR shows up to take your little snowflakes to the library because they are too good to take the test everyone else does? you're terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you not having your child take the test?

NP: Really? There are a bunch of previous threads that debate the reasons in great detail. What difference does it make what this particular poster's reasons are?

But if you want to engage on this, let me ask you a different question: "Why are you having your child take the test?"

There are reasons for the testing, but none have much to do with the children, at least directly.

UMC parents fixated on the specialness of their child and inability to just blend in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our principal lets us take our kids out of the school building during testing hours only (our au pair takes them to the local public library during testing ours).

If you really want to opt out, don't be cowed. Ask administrators if they'll work with you, in writing. If they won't, just take the kids out if you can swing the logistics, as you would for a doctor's appointment, and bring them back. The only tool DCPS has to beat up on families who opt out is attendance, so create a paper trail in case you end up dealing with a social work, or even in court. Shoot the classroom teacher and an admin an email each time you take the kid out during PARCC testing hours explaining what you're doing and be sure to save all the emails.

If you believe in what you're doing and have some flexibility in your schedule and family can babysitters on board, you can make opting out work at any DCPCS. Opting out gets trickier at charters.

jfc. your AU PAIR shows up to take your little snowflakes to the library because they are too good to take the test everyone else does? you're terrible.

That's so DC.

[Anonymous]

I honestly don't get the reasoning behind skipping the PARCC. Your child has already "lost" weeks of regular instructional time in preparation for it. So you're not avoiding that, which in my mind is the greater problem.
By taking the PARCC, a kid gains experience in standardized test taking. We applied a 5th grader to private school this year and they asked for PARCC scores as well as the SSAT/ISEE test. Parts of these tests are very similar to the PARCC. The application high schools in DC require the PARCC. The PARCC is also not that dissimilar to the eventual SAT. It all helps as practice for standardized testing later in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you not having your child take the test?

NP: Really? There are a bunch of previous threads that debate the reasons in great detail. What difference does it make what this particular poster's reasons are?

But if you want to engage on this, let me ask you a different question: "Why are you having your child take the test?"

There are reasons for the testing, but none have much to do with the children, at least directly.

UMC parents fixated on the specialness of their child and inability to just blend in.

"Blend in" just like little robots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our principal lets us take our kids out of the school building during testing hours only (our au pair takes them to the local public library during testing ours).

If you really want to opt out, don't be cowed. Ask administrators if they'll work with you, in writing. If they won't, just take the kids out if you can swing the logistics, as you would for a doctor's appointment, and bring them back. The only tool DCPS has to beat up on families who opt out is attendance, so create a paper trail in case you end up dealing with a social work, or even in court. Shoot the classroom teacher and an admin an email each time you take the kid out during PARCC testing hours explaining what you're doing and be sure to save all the emails.

If you believe in what you're doing and have some flexibility in your schedule and family can babysitters on board, you can make opting out work at any DCPCS. Opting out gets trickier at charters.

Your child should be counted as an unexcused absence. I hope your school follows through on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I honestly don't get the reasoning behind skipping the PARCC. Your child has already "lost" weeks of regular instructional time in preparation for it. So you're not avoiding that, which in my mind is the greater problem.
By taking the PARCC, a kid gains experience in standardized test taking. We applied a 5th grader to private school this year and they asked for PARCC scores as well as the SSAT/ISEE test. Parts of these tests are very similar to the PARCC. The application high schools in DC require the PARCC. The PARCC is also not that dissimilar to the eventual SAT. It all helps as practice for standardized testing later in life.

Agree with all of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I honestly don't get the reasoning behind skipping the PARCC. Your child has already "lost" weeks of regular instructional time in preparation for it. So you're not avoiding that, which in my mind is the greater problem.
By taking the PARCC, a kid gains experience in standardized test taking. We applied a 5th grader to private school this year and they asked for PARCC scores as well as the SSAT/ISEE test. Parts of these tests are very similar to the PARCC. The application high schools in DC require the PARCC. The PARCC is also not that dissimilar to the eventual SAT. It all helps as practice for standardized testing later in life.

Agree with all of this.

Agree that its not the test itself that's the problem ... but a school system that is so focused on standardized testing. Pulling your kids out of PARCC is an act of civil disobedience.