The vocal testing "opt out" movement in Montclair Public Schools resulted in a nearly 40 percent test refusal rate, according to a report. Read more

But this year, in Houston ISD, a handful of students are opting out: A cadre of parents has joined a growing national backlash against high-stakes testing, a system they say is strangling the education it is supposed to help.  Read more

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, supports parents who opt out.  Last week she said that if she were a parent of children in the public schools, she would opt out also. Read more

I would like TEA to know that the STAAR test corrupts the learning environment.  It makes the school environment toxic.  It makes teachers teach to the test.  That means that my children, and countless others, are getting less science, less history and less social studies because it isn't on the test. Read more

There are many reasons that people have for wanting to refuse the STAAR tests.  I had my own reasons and convictions so I decided that opting out/ refusing the test would be my course of action.  The following is an account of how my case progressed.  Your results may be different.

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After five a half years in office, Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier is still talking about what he will do as if he were new to town. In his State of the Schools speech last week, he promoted the same test-driven brand of school "improvement" that, by his own admission, has done little to improve student learning for the majority of HISD children. Sadly, he and the board majority who hired him show no signs of learning from their mistakes. Read more

Keep your children home on the day of the STAAR Math test onApril 20 (Grades 5 & 8) and on April 21 (Grades 3, 4, 6, and 7). In spring 2015, the STAAR math test cannot be used as a condition of promotion in grades 3-8 due to new curriculum standards. Read more

Seventeen percent of Colorado seniors refused to take the new state standardized tests in November 2014. The students and their parents decided to boycott (opt out) the state tests out of rising concern about the amount of testing.  Last year, in New York, over 30,000 parents boycotted the state tests and opted their children out of testing last spring. In Texas, parents in thirty districts boycotted the state tests. High stakes testing is narrowing the curriculum and is not measuring the skills we really want our children to learn- creativity, complex problem solving and the joy that comes from learning new things. This year Texas children do not need to pass the STAAR math test to be promoted to the next grade. There will be no additional test dates if you opt your child out of the STAAR math test. This is true in HISD too. Test dates: March 30 (grades 5 and 8) and April 21 (grades 3,4, 6,7 ) For more information, email houstoncvpe@gmail.com Read more

"In some places, tests — and preparation for them — are dominating the calendar and culture of schools and causing undue stress for students and educators." -Arne Duncan (surprised?  I was!) Read more

The trend of testing "does not reflect the work cycle of the real world". Read more