To the Editor:
As you are aware, SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) testing will begin in the Westport Public Schools later this month. This letter is not to debate the appropriateness of this testing or to influence your personal decision, but to inform you of your rights as parents.
Despite Connecticut superintendents having been warned to stop harassing parents who seek to fulfill their constitutionally guaranteed right to protect their children, last week an email was sent to Westport School District parents from our superintendent stating the following:
“CONNECTICUT GENERAL STATUTES (Section 10-14n) REQUIRE EVERY STUDENT TO PARTICIPATE IN STATE STANDARDIZED TESTS.
THERE IS NO PROCESS FOR OPTING OUT OF THE TESTING.”
This email was both forceful and misleading. To be clear: There is no federal or state law, regulation or policy that prohibits a parent or guardian from opting his or her children out of these tests. The former Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, on March 14, 2014 stated in a videotaped hearing in Hartford that there is no consequence to students if they opt-out of SBAC testing.
While the school district will tell us that there is no “formal” opt-put process, there is one, but it is not publicized. Parents can opt-out, should they desire, by sending an email to their school’s principal and our superintendent.
With the controversy around the Common Core Standards and SABC testing, the number of opt out requests in CT is three to four times higher this year. In some CT districts, the PTA and the Board of Education members are speaking out and encouraging parents to opt out of state testing. It is a complicated issue, which may eventually tie SBAC participation to federal and state funding for schools as suggested by the Department of Education.
Regardless of your opinion, know that this is your personal decision; not that of our state or our school district. In the end, as a parent, do your research and decide for yourself what is best for your child and their future.
Charlene J. Zeiberg
Parent,
Westport
