NEARI Supports Parent Opt-Out of PARCC Testing

Parents who don’t want their children to partake in standardized testing this year now have the support of the National Education Association Rhode Island, whose Executive Committee on Monday passed a pair of resolutions supporting parental rights to opt-out.

The NEARI now joins a growing list of parents and community groups opposed to the increasing emphasis of standardized tests in Rhode Island public schools.

In a statement, NEARI said “all Rhode Island parents must be made aware of their right to opt their child(ren) out of high-stakes standardized assessments, and that there is an over-abundance of these tests in Rhode Island public schools. The Rhode Island Department of Education, through individual school districts, must provide all parents with yearly, written information fully explaining their right to opt out of these assessments.”

But outgoing Education Commissioner Deborah Gist said that all students are expected to participate in state assessments, however, “just as they participate in all other aspects of public education once they enroll in school.”

School superintendents across Rhode Island have been dealing with opposition from parents on one end and what has been described as conflicting messaging from the state Department of Education in recent months as the PARCC testing approached.

At a parent forum last month in Cranston, MAry Ann Snider of RIDE said that it is the firm belief of the agency that the tests should be optional but noted there is no law stating the tests must be taken.

But a week later, Gist, in a weekly memo to superintendents, said all students are expected to take the tests and “there is no formal procedure for parents to remove their children from participation in any school activities, including state assessments. We encourage school leaders to meet personally with parents who express a concern about state assessments in order to communicate benefits, to correct misinformation, and to encourage participation. Students attending school during days of administration of state assessments, including make-up days, will participate in the assessment process.”

Gist has argued that PARCC will give useful data to monitor student progress and to make informed decisions about classroom instruction and curriculum. It will also enable Rhode Island to directly compare student achievement with the other 13 states taking part in the PARCC assessments.

But NEARI officials are worried that students who opt out will be penalized, either by PARCC becoming a graduation requirement at some point in the future, or the state punishing their district and teachers for allowing students to opt out.

“Open dialogue is essential in the parent and educator relationship; as a result, no educator should be disciplined in any school or district for discussing – with students, parents, or community members – options available to parents for opting students out of PARCC or other high-stakes standardized assessment. These include individual conversations, parent/teacher conferences, community meetings, or any other social or professional conversations. The rights of free speech apply in every situation when discussing student opt-out options,” NEARI said in a statement.

The text of the two NEARI resolutions are as follows:

The National Education Association Rhode Island believes all Rhode Island parents must be made aware of their right to opt their child(ren) out of high-stakes standardized assessments, and that there is an over-abundance of these tests in Rhode Island public schools. The Rhode Island Department of Education, through individual school districts, must provide all parents with yearly, written information fully explaining their right to opt out of these assessments.

Students who opt out of high-stakes assessments, such as PARCC, should not be included in data used by state or federal entities in grading or ranking schools or districts, or for any other punitive measures. No parent or student should be penalized based on a parental decision to remove a student from standardized assessments.

Open dialogue is essential in the parent and educator relationship; as a result, no educator should be disciplined in any school or district for discussing – with students, parents, or community members – options available to parents for opting students out of PARCC or other high-stakes standardized assessment. These include individual conversations, parent/teacher conferences, community meetings, or any other social or professional conversations. The rights of free speech apply in every situation when discussing student opt-out options.

Specific to this year only, the Executive Committee also unanimously passed the following second resolution:

NEARI also believes and recommends that, due to weather interruptions in the continuity of instruction, all further PARCC testing be suspended for this school year and the time be used for such instruction. It is clearly a much better use of student time if learning is not disrupted for testing. From this point forward, the validity of any testing should be questioned.

NEARI President Larry Purtill stated, “This is another step in NEARI’s action against annual standardized testing and the disruption of instructional time and unnecessary pressure on students and parents.

“It’s time to end the misuse and over-use of standardized testing and get back to a dialogue about how performance-based testing can improve instruction and learning outcomes.”