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.
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.
Passing the state high school tests is a requirement for a high school diploma. But there is no state penalty for students who opt out in grades 3 – 8. Some schools use the scores to choose students for advanced work, but most do not. Check whether your school does.