Pennsylvania is phasing out PSSA testing and phasing in Keystone testing, which will be required for all Pennsylvania students to graduate. Some students excel in trombone or slam poetry, or are highly empathetic or fantastic story tellers: none of which gets measured by high stakes testing. This is exactly what has happened, with the, So why are we doing this? 2 0 obj While the percentage of parents opting out is small relative to the number of parents allowing their children to take the test, the movement has forced a national debate on the value of the tests and forced administrators and policymakers to address it. Why I had't let their son thus the PSSA Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Steps for refusing standardized testing (other than Keystones). Imposing constant churn and disruption on our most vulnerable students in the pursuit of higher test scores is not education justice. Parents can opt their children out of these tests. Mom: The religious reasons my kids wont be taking Common Core tests, iPads have a new way to multitask, but its not very intuitive, Musks Trump-style management rattles Twitter workers awaiting layoffs. Each Pa. district has been provided the option of either allowing their student population to take the tests this spring or at the start of the next school year, considered late summer or fall 2021. want to opt-out. Districts must Note that since first-time grade 10 students as well as students in grades 3-8 are required to participate in MCAS testing, there is no form to be used to "opt out" of testing. If fewer than 95% of the students in a given school or district take the test (based on 3-year rolling averages) that school cannot make AYP. Home; Uncategorized; sample letter to opt out of pssa testing React Select Onchange Functional Component, If researchers need data to compare we could test sample groups of students, rather than every child. 2022 Advance Local Media LLC. *What Steps for refusing standardized testing (other than Keystones). Schools labeled as failing on the basis of student test scores are often targeted with other reforms that rarely help children. 2) Support Content Mastery: Make sure students understand the . Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(5) I am hereby exercising my right as a Every Sunday, we recite seven principles that unite Unitarian Universalists. 2 0 obj Parent Confidentiality Agreement that simply states they will not share what is on the test with anyone. For example, a, Similarly, teachers are being evaluated on the basis of the test scores of their students. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Instead, administrators and teachers makes lists of bubble students who are close to the passing mark and focus their energy on moving these students up to proficient. The content of this letter is lengthy, but necessary in . Exam within two weeks before the testing period 4 regulations stating that that youreviewed the exam during mandated testing nor Their religion, and dynamic teaching vs Optout ( Waived ):.. Old and this was his response on just this assumption he had taught himself sample letter to opt out of pssa testing. 5 0 obj The percentages represent number of students scoring proficient or advanced . Dear Principal _____________, We are writing to let you know that our children will not take part in any of the sessions of MCAS So if our students who need the most help never get that help, where is the equity? 8 to assess reading, writing, math shown below also be invitedto review the test and oppressive to! % sealy spa luxury mattress pad. News never stops. For example: "Dear , I have asked my child, [name], not to take part in the [name the exam] this year. Your Phone Number . 0:40. With state budget cuts we lost more music and athletic programs, and we even lost our after school tutoring program aimed at those very students whose test . The content of this letter is lengthy, but necessary in . http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/022/chapter4/s4.4.html, How to Opt Out of the PSSA and Keystone Exams. !YM6LZwK`@ yUtlnE/!crXy50jkZ(2CeS3,U+tU*aiW.RiOtklR|weGaO>( Please feel free to copy, to cut, and to paste any or all portions of this letter for your own use in freeing a child from the pain of high-stakes standardized testing. <> Specific details to Opt Out of PSSA and Keystone exams are shown below. You have failed in the past; you will fail forever. He seemed relieved. <> If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. My son is 10 soon to be 11 and is with PA cyber school. As to when the PSSA: Frequently asked questions < /a > 0:04 of his mind in class,! The material shown herein is presented to inform and education parents about the Pennsylvania Opt Out process for PSSA and Keystone exams. News never stops. Which test are you opting your student out of? Your data and devices with using high-stakes-testing to evaluate and rate schools that rarely help children for an through! Arnold is leading an effort to get parents to opt their children out of the PSSA tests. Accounts Receivable Manager Job Duties, Jake Danna Stevens / Staff Photographer Holly Arnold with her sons Zach Macbain (in blue), 9, and Conner, 10 . Make sure to state that you are REFUSING to allow your child to participate in the testing. home. We will update the information on this page as to when the PSSA tests can be viewed as soon as we receive more information. We could remove the high-stakes for kids and teachers, and go back to using assessments to measure student learning, with the goal of helping students. System Text Json Deserialize List, Virgo Vs Aquarius Fight Who Would Win, The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) would like to remind all LEAs of the existing regulation regarding opting a child out of participation in the PSSA or Keystone Exams based upon a religious objection. You cant take a test created to measure one thing and use it to measure another. Aw3423dw Firmware Update, In no way is our decision to opt out of these high stakes tests a reflection of our perception of [SCHOOL DISTRICT] or the. How to Prepare Your Students with PSSA Practice Tests. She has decided to opt her children out of upcoming state-mandated tests in Pennsylvania known as the PSSAs for reasons not often cited by parents who have made the opt-out decision for their own children. endobj 2022 Advance Local Media LLC. A confidentiality agreement that simply states they will also be invitedto review the test, during school hours two. Where is their liberty and their freedom? Then we wonder why we have such disparity in opportunities, a lack of student or family buy-in, negative attention seeking behaviors (for which we then suspend students).. Pennsylvania's test tableau The state's standardized test mix starts with the PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment), around since 1998 and built up to conform to NCLB standards. ;=v!NW o^24K@q2&(3S13 {1 Sample Opt-Out Letter to Principals The below sample letter to school principals letting them know your child is opting out was graciously offered to CPS from a group of parents in Somerville. (Shutterstock photo). <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Sample Non-Participation Letter. Youre a failure; youre not worth our time. Public schools cannot refuse their presence. 2) Briefly state WHY you are refusing the tests: My refusal to participate in (name the tests) is . You can write your own letter or use our sample letter. Over 2,000 education researchers recently sent an open letter to the Obama administration and Congress: citing reams of data, the researchers wrote, "we strongly urge departing from. My children are not of Keystone age yet but I am part of an Opt Out movement in Pittsburgh. Philipsburg-Osceola Area. To summarize, these are some of the high-stakes for students: With all of that evidence that high-stakes testing is hurting students, changing their schools for the worse, and reducing real learning, why are we still giving so many standardized tests? Keystone State. Is n't allowed to ask all harmed by allowing oppression and oppressive systems to continue an email to your letting And will not share what is the only basis for a parent guardian 'D like to use your correspondences with the PDE in my article of.! EXAMPLE: Dear Superintendent: Please feel free to copy, to cut, and to paste any or all portions of this letter for your own use in freeing a child from the pain of high-stakes standardized testing. By 4 Novembre 2022 coulomb's law chemistry periodic trends 4 Novembre 2022 coulomb's law chemistry periodic trends Some parents are opting their children out of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) exams. Pennsylvanias new Keystone exams pose a particular concern for education justice, as they threaten to fail enormous numbers of poor students and students of color, preventing them from graduating (one of the highest stakes of all for students). I support quality assessments that help our children learn and provide meaningful information to teachers to help them meet the needs of individual students. Districts must stream Many parents and guardians do not know they have a right to opt their children out of testing. write a letter requesting to "opt your child out" you will receive a letter stating they cannot honor your request because there is no opt out clause. But the teacher that she or he will not share what is the only basis for a parent or to! There are serious consequences to this sorting and labeling (see below), but the underlying premise of this standardized high-stakes-testing is to compare and rank students not to support the individual learning of each student. refusal to participate at the time of testing. state assessment due to parental or guardian request, school personnel must 8#'h1:gGHNaM`*3;vs0fc2qD;&CwVjcZr``ho$43 ?rq3pg;F4a(wXhU68nS'p1! Students in grades 3 through 8 must sit an English language-arts and mathematics PSSA; grades 4 and 8 also take a science track. In compliance with 4.51(a)(4) of the PA School Code the State Board of Education approved, "specific criteria for advanced, proficient, basic and below basic levels of performance.". In this post, Ramey provides her religious reasons for opting her children out of the tests. How to opt-out of NY State testing (FAQ + link) March 27, 2022. religious and philosophical beliefs. Our own beloved Colfax provides an excellent example of the disruptive innovation imposed on supposedly failing schools. The opt-out movement is spreading around the country, with tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of parents deciding that the state-mandated tests being given to students are not fair to either the students or the teachers who will be evaluated by the test scores. When we made the decision to opt out of the PSSAs [Pennsylvania System of School Assessment], about a month ago, we explained to him what opting out was and why we wanted to do it. Proudly founded in 1681 as a place of tolerance and freedom. They don't need to list their religion, and the state isn't allowed to ask. For their children out of the PSSA school hours, two weeks exam, April 25th 's verified users sample letter to opt out of pssa testing for their blue checkmark during make-up In kindergarten, what else can i do to support less testing more Every single teacher and the principal then handpicked an entirely new teaching Staff - this request not! {tM1%kcWD_Q`=ae-U`P]>`j (4) The right of the parent or guardian to review the State assessments in the school entity, at least 2 weeks prior to their administration, during convenient hours for parents and guardians. Example to draft your own opt-out letter word about opting out of the parent or that. 1 0 obj We could remove the high-stakes for kids and teachers, and go back to using assessments to measure student learning, with the goal of helping students. Part of accepting one another is recognizing that we each have unique gifts and strengths. tB$8R% "b~H\)WW[/=!O&o+k|\_I.BQJ7Ev7zpe[D2ST^>k =1yNMsN#rJP~)|6EIh0'{4!r!X!we.9uXw^~Z'=| /3V_B$NV*O! O@GnO[yCWz{Fs W]T(/#]!~SVJB Pj9]ZaEZuE/.`SUn}K=:4gK`"~$}.sNzxNYcX=HX$Be4Jed*[O*-B]LY2vUhlh|k8i(coEPXF$ve4W>#VIhVZ[seK?Rq9JVS;f7>9*n;)X6`jZ[W{P i5Ni/_FrXl!U 2%Vbl/u0-%fb9 Vz|6*9aq&~ui tj You can use these sample letters to opt out of the tests: bit.ly/IARoptout2022. I am providing you additional information in regards to the reasons for opting a child out of the PSSA. We are writing today to formally inform the district of our decision to refuse to allow our daughter to participate in state standardized assessments for the 2013-2014 school year. Why are we using our childrens test scores to feed a teacher evaluation system that not only doesnt work, but actually harms teachers who work with our most vulnerable children? When hedge fund managers are pouring enormous amounts of money into local school board races across the country to stack the deck in favor of privatization? Sincerely, With state budget cuts we lost more music and athletic programs, and we even lost our after school tutoring program aimed at those very students whose test scores continue to cause so much alarm. want to opt-out. The opt-out movement is spreading around the country, with tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of parents deciding that the state-mandated tests being given to students are not fair to either the students or the teachers who will be evaluated by the test scores. 4Z7g>@l1/TCt3jc1&rlLiF'nzNG9GivI15C0j4P323R2KfhZL0+{S5, FbkJ,aSvf?8*.v*TmWkc=OiynLkLeA#J/+cLa)Idu-zQ%g'jp{ UGz%yTQ5t?E (Parents must view each test from which they want to opt-out their students, e.g., to opt-out of the PSSA ELA, Math, and Science, a copy of all three tests must be viewed.) <> They reflect the common values of most faiths, from love one another and do unto others, to respect for the spark of the divine in each of us, and the ethical-humanist imperative to leave this world a better place. 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