The Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics Tests and Grades 5 & 8 Science Tests are administered in the spring to students across New York State. These annual tests for students in grades 3-8 are required by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015.
Your Rights Parents and guardians of 3rd-8th graders in New York State have the right to refuse to allow their children to participate in this testing with no adverse consequences to their child, their child's teachers, or their child's school.
Yes. California Education Code section 60615 allows a parent or guardian to submit a written request to school officials to exclude his or her child from any or all parts of state-mandated assessments.
New York is a one-party consent state. This is a class E felony, which carries a minimum term of 1-1.33 years of imprisonment. However, Section 250.00 defines “wiretapping” and “intercepting or accessing an electronic communication” to exclude situations involving the consent of the sender or receiver.
Dear Principal Name, I wanted to let you know that my child, name, will not take part in the name the test this year. We ask that you make arrangements for him/her to have a productive educational experience during the testing period. Thank you for all you do.
Parents can write and submit a refusal letter to refuse their children from taking the NYS Assessments grades 3-8. What is the difference between “opting out” and “refusing?” In practice, nothing. But the official term to use in your letter is “refuse.”
The federal supervision Condition of Participation is a reimbursement criterion in non-opt-out states. California is one of seventeen states to opt out since 2001.
New York: Agreement State Information New York is an Agreement State. No nuclear fuel cycle facilities are located in New York.
To protect your child: For many students, the Big Test can be very stressful. To improve education for all students: Opting out is an effective way to protest the overuse and misuse of standardized tests, which forces schools to focus on the demands of the tests instead of the needs of students.