1 Testing Opt-Out/Refusal Guide for: COLORADO The most powerful assessment for students learning occurs in the classroom, moment-tomoment among teachers and students. - Peter Johnston Form completed by Peggy Robertson, with updates by Carla Farris, Stefanie Fuhr, and Teresa Smith Contact information: writepeg@juno.com, carlafarris@hotmail.com, steffuhr3@gmail.com, smithrouse@msn.com New Information for the 2015-2016 school year from the CDE: Please note the CDE information ONLY refers to state assessments and not district interim/benchmark assessments. We recommend you refuse interim assessments as well. Continue reading for more information. The CDE states: District Assessment Calendars Annually, districts must distribute a calendar to parents that specifies: (1) The assessments that will be administered. (2) The estimated hours of testing and whether assessments are required by federal or state law or selected by the district. (3) The purpose of the assessments and how the assessment results will be used. District Policy for Excusing Students from Assessments -Each district must adopt a written policy and procedure allowing a student s parent to excuse a student from participating in one or more state assessments. -If a parent excuses his/her student from participating in an assessment, the district must not impose negative consequences on students or parents, including: - prohibiting school attendance, - imposing an unexcused absence, - prohibiting participation in extracurricular activities. At the same time, the district cannot impose an unreasonable burden or requirement on a student to discourage the student from taking an assessment or encourage the student s parent to excuse his/her student from the assessment. When CDE was asked, "How will school accreditation be impacted this next year?" Their response was: There is a one year moratorium on accreditation this year.
2 For more updated information on changes to state testing go to: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdedepcom/2015legislativechangestoassessment) State assessment calendar: CMAS (science, social studies 1, PARCC English language arts 2 and PARCC math) CoAlt (science and social studies) CoAlt DLM (English language arts and math) 3 weeks (science, social studies, ELA and math) April 11 - April 29, 2016 4 weeks (additional week for ELA and math) April 4 - April 29, 2016 5 weeks (additional weeks for ELA and math) 6 weeks (additional weeks for ELA and math) March 28 - April 29, 2016 or March 21 - March 29, 2016 and April 4 - April 29, 2016 March 14 - April 29, 2016 with one week of spring break in the middle 3 1 Social studies assessments will be administered on a sampling basis to one-third of the schools each year. 2 Including Colorado Spanish Language Arts (CSLA) 3 CoAlt DLM system is not scheduled to open until March 16 th. Additional Assessments ACCESS for ELLs (K-12th grade) January 11 - February 12, 2016 10th grade aligned to CAS and to the 11th grade college entrance exam (TBD) TBD 4 11th grade college entrance exam (TBD) TBD 4 4 These assessments will be procured through a competitive Request for Proposal process expected to occur during the summer of 2015. Dates for the administration will be determined at the time of contract negotiation. English and Math are given in grades 3-9. Science is given once in elementary, once in middle school, and once in high school. Social studies is given once in elementary, once in middle and once in high school EVERY THREE YEARS.
3 READ Interim Assessments: Impacts k-3 http://www.cde.state.co.us/coloradoliteracy/readinterimassessments Interim (also called benchmark) assessments are given at the beginning, middle and end of the year. If your child is deficient according to these tests, he/she is then given a diagnostic and summative assessment to determine the area needed to work on. We are hearing reports of these tests being done more frequently. Under the READ Act, districts are required to give state approved benchmark assessments to then report to the state, but after grade 3 the state does not require benchmark assessments to be reported to the state. We recommend you refuse these interim/benchmark tests for numerous reasons: Teachers already know how to assess. The assessments on the lists mainly assess skills in isolation. These assessments do not give teachers the complete picture of a critical, well-rounded reader, writer, and problem solver. Please read the attached Refuse the READ Act flyer for more information. Also know that schools get additional funding based on the number of children placed on a READ plan. Ultimately children can be held back in third grade without parent approval beginning in the school year 2016-2017. English Interim Assessments Spanish Interim Assessments Aimsweb Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills Next (DIBELS Next) Indicadores Dinámicos del Éxito en la Lectura (IDEL) Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST) i Ready ISIP ER, Istation Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) ISIP ER Spanish, Istation Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening Español STAR Early Learning READ Diagnostic and Summative Assessments approved by the state: These assessments are given if the interim assessments show a deficiency in a child s reading. Curriculum Associates i-ready PALS Marketplace Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS)
4 Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening Español (PALS Español) Renaissance STAR Early Literacy Assessment Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Children's Progress Academic Assessment (CPAA) Pearson Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Test de Vocabulario en Imagenes Peabody (TVIP) Pearson Woodcock Reading Mastery Test, 3rd edition (VRMT-III) Cambium Education, Inc. d/b/a Sopris Learning DIBELS Deep: PA (Phonemic Awareness) WRD (Word Reading Decoding) Amplify Burst Reading Assessments: Vocabulary,Advanced Phonics/Decoding, and Comprehension Woodcock-Munoz LS (English and Spanish) K-2 Summative Assessments Curriculum Associates i-ready Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) MAP for Primary Grades (MPG) Terra Nova School Readiness: (https://www.cde.state.co.us/schoolreadiness/assessment) Due to the School Readiness Initiative which received federal funding from the third round of Race to the Top grants, we now have three school readiness assessments being across Colorado. Here is the CDE 2015-2016 info. re: school readiness: https://www.cde.state.co.us/schoolreadiness/srguidancedocument2012 We have very carefully researched the first assessment approved, Teaching Strategies Gold, and we recommend refusing it. Please read here: http://www.pegwithpen.com/2013/09/do-not-go-for-gold-teachingstrategies.html And find the refusal letter here: http://www.pegwithpen.com/2013/10/teaching-strategiesgold-parent-refusal.html There are two other assessments that have been approved. While we have not researched these two extensively as they are fairly new - at first glance we believe that they look very time consuming and appear to follow the same tactics as TS Gold - ultimately stripping teacher time away from authentic work with children. The two assessments are: http://riversidepublishing.com/products/real/pdf/real_k_ready_.pdf http://www.drdpk.org/drdpk.html Funding for this assessment will only last a few years, placing additional financial burdens on our schools which will require further cuts in authentic teaching and learning experiences. As stated in Colorado s Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Fund application, the grant will cover 100% of the assessment system subscription costs in 2013-14, 60% of costs in 2014-15, 30% of costs in 2015-16, and 15% of costs in 2016-17.
5 Districts that do not begin implementing the school readiness assessment until the 2014-15 school year will still have access to funding. In this case, the grant will cover 100% of the assessment system subscription costs in 2014-15, 60% of costs in 2015-16, and 30% of costs in 2016-17. See more at: http://www.cde.state.co.us/schoolreadiness/faq#q26 Here is an early childhood guide to support your efforts in returning developmentally appropriate practices to preschool and kindergarten: http://unitedoptout.com/essential-guides/early-childhoodguide-for-parents/ We also recommend the DEY Activist Toolkit: http://deyproject.org/early-childhood-activisttoolkit/ Additional Interim/benchmark assessments: The state does not have an approved list of interim/benchmark assessments not connected to the READ Act, but there are many interim and benchmark assessments currently being used school-wide to get a sense of what is necessary to teach in order to do well on the final PARCC/CMAS tests. Some districts are creating their own benchmarks while some are using assessments bought from assessment companies. Some assessments include Acuity, MAPS, I ready, or ACT Aspire (ACT Aspire is from ACT company but NOT the same assessment high school students take before college). The grade levels for administering these assessments varies by district. MAPS can be administered as early as kindergarten. We recommend you refuse these assessments as well because: Teachers are reporting an increase in these assessments as it appears these assessments are being used to fulfill the multiple assessment aspect of SB 191. Districts are encouraged to use local measures that are included in, and aligned with, district and school Unified Improvement Plan goals and the Colorado Academic Standards. Please review this document. http://www.cde.state.co.us/educatoreffectiveness/measuresofstudentlearningguida nceteacher These tests tend to be used to determine how well a student will do on the state assessments. There is no evidence that they improve student learning. These assessments are ultimately being used to predict how students will do on PARCC, therefore creating a teach-to-the-test environment all year long. MAP is fully aligned to PARCC and Common Core. This is NOT a content test. Acuity is also aligned to PARCC and Common Core. Common Core was created in order to streamline the testing. CC and HST are tied together creating lockstep teach-to-the-test for students all year long. Assessments provide major cash flow for testing and technology corporations. When Chromebooks start crashing they'll buy more Chromebooks and/or other technology to support testing.
6 Special Considerations for Assessments: High School Graduation Requirements: Please see updated graduation requirements here: http://www.boarddocs.com/co/cde/board.nsf/files/9ztrw66fb28b/$file/menu%20- %20Proposed%20DRAFT%20-%20May%202015.pdf Options for Students with IEPs Please see this excellent guide which offers insights into refusing high stakes testing via IEP meetings. http://unitedoptout.com/essential-guides/opt-out-for-special-needsexceptional-students/ ACCESS for English Language Learners We recommend refusing ACCESS. It is our belief that kid-watching typically will give teachers the information they need to assess a child's English language level as a speaker, listener, reader and writer. This test is time consuming and our second language learners who need the most time in class (speaking, listening, reading and writing) often spend more time taking tests as they are often required to take this test in addition to the state and district mandated tests. Finally, this test is a standardized test also used with young children. This is developmentally inappropriate and standardized testing results with young children continue to prove to be inaccurate. We continue to hear reports of young children crying during standardized testing; that alone is enough reason to refuse the test. Assessments considered Formative yet are often misused and here is why Districts often give publisher-made reading assessments to determine baseline data as well as to determine how to support the student as a reader over time. These assessments can be useful when analyzed and if not given excessively. Unfortunately, due to the high-stakes nature of testing, these assessments are often given too frequently and often are used to hold children back unnecessarily. Because they are frequently required, teachers lose both autonomy and time to formatively assess on their own. A teacher can easily give a quick formative running record in lieu of these publisher-created assessments, which saves time and is less stressful. These assessments can take 20 to 30 minutes at times and often a child is required to do many of them in order to determine his/her instructional reading level. We would prefer children not be referred to as "levels" as well. Ask about your child s abilities and interests as a reader if they say your child is a D level ask what is a reader at a D level able to do and what is the reader beginning to learn to do? Children should not be referred to as "levels." Shift the conversation so that the teacher can share information about a child's reading behaviors and interests as a reader. Here is an excerpt from a book from Richard C. Owen Publishers detailing some
7 early reading behaviors: https://www.rcowen.com/pdfs/atbr%20ch%208%20for%20website.pdf Ask about frequent testing for readers and writers in your child's school. Excessive writing prompts are also very prominent. Finally, ask about PARCC/CMAS test prep samples - these are guaranteed to be prevalent this year. What Assessment DO We Want? Please request portfolio assessment in lieu of these corporate assessments. Teachers KNOW how to assess. Here is a sample letter: http://unitedoptout.com/essential-guides/letter-for-requestingportfolio-assessment/ Funding: How do each of these performance frameworks affect a school s funding including: federal, state, and local dollars? Keith Owen, Deputy Commissioner of Education responded: According to legislation, there is no impact on the plan type a school receives and state or local dollars. Some schools (Title I) with Turnaround and Priority Improvement plan types may be prioritized for eligibility for supplemental federal school improvement funds, but none lose funding as a result. http://unitedoptout.com/optout-refusethetest-without-fear-of-federal-penalty-to-your-school/ Here is CDE info: re accountability. They state that state test scores will be included on transcripts and placed in cumulative file. http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/generalinfo-colaw.asp More on Opt Out Process: Here is an excellent piece written by Angela Engel of Uniting 4 Kids, which explains the entire opt out process. We highly recommend reading this and sharing it with others. http://www.angelaengel.com/files/csap/final_parent_guide_u4k.pdf Urgency for Opt-Out/Refusal There is great urgency for opt out/refusal in Colorado. Corporate education reform is attacking all areas of education teacher education, teacher evaluation, student instruction and evaluation, vouchers, charter schools, teacher certification, teacher curriculum and more. High-stakes Testing: Is not scientifically-based and fails to follow the U.S. Government's own data on learning. Fosters test-driven education that is not meeting the individual/intellectual needs of students. Presents a racial and economic bias that is beneficial to white middle/upper class students and is detrimental to second language students, impoverished students, and students of color. Is in opposition to the corrective action in gaps in opportunity and resources sanctioned by the Fiscal Fairness Act. Supports complicity of corporate interests rather than democracy based on public concerns. Fosters coercion over cooperation with regard to federal funding for public education.
8 Promotes a culture of lying, cheating, and exploitation within the school community. Has used the achievement gap to foster a de facto segregation that has resulted in separate and unequal education for minorities. Additionally, data collection of students private information cannot be guaranteed security or that it will not be abused in some way by third party entities. We recommend contacting The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy for issues regarding student data collection. Test scores are incorrectly used as the justification to eliminate teachers, automate education through online learning, and close public schools replacing them with for profit charter schools. Sample Language to Include in Opt-Out/Refusal Dear : I am writing on behalf of to refuse the (test name). He/she is neither permitted to take the exam during mandated testing days nor during designated make-up sessions. If alternative activities are available, my child will be in attendance during testing hours. Strict adherence to state and federal high-stakes standardized testing, including the extensive classroom preparation that occurs prior to test administration, prevents my child from receiving a well-rounded and engaging educational experience. Until focus on testable skills diminishes to a reasonable extent, I will continue to withhold my child from participation in the testing program, and I ask that you honor that decision. Thank you. Sincerely, ------------------------ Sample Language to Include in Opt-Out/Refusal for READ Act assessments Dear : I am refusing all interim/benchmark district assessments as well as state mandated assessments used for school, district, state or federal data collection. This can be anything from MAPS to AIMS Webb. If there are other forms, whether surveys or assessments, used solely for collecting data on please let me know. I only want assessments that are used to inform instruction and not to collect district, state or federal data that attaches a specific label to our children and their school. We are adding to our assessment refusal list this year any assessments that are school, district, and/or state mandatory requirements for the READ Act. We refuse to have put on a READ act plan. No READ plan will be created for. As early childhood literacy experts state, a child s learning to read can happen anywhere from the ages of 4 to 7 with some starting earlier and some starting later. Assessments used starting as early as 5 to determine if a child has significant reading deficiencies is harmful to a child s development and state of mind. https://deyproject.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/readinginkindergarten_online-1.pdf
9 We are concerned with the corporate takeover of our schools and feel that one way we can fight for our children is to refuse the reformers the data. The READ Act is ALEC legislation (Chapt. 7 http://www.alec.org/model-legislation/the-a-plus-literacy-act/). The work of ALEC is not to support our children, teachers and schools but to privatize our public schools. My children will not take part in any of this. We also truly trust that our daughter s teachers will get to know our daughter, and their observations and classroom assessments will tell us so much more than these tests. We trust them and respect them for the professionals they are! Thank you, ----------------------- Resources and organizations Parents have been opting out of state testing for years in Colorado. The CBE and Uniting 4 Kids have been helping parents for many years before United Opt Out National joined them. Please read here to see additional information about opting out: www.uniting4kids.com In addition, please check out the following groups and/or blogs: http://www.buildbetterschools.com/?p=383 http://www.angelaengel.com/ http://www.costudentpower.org/ http://www.students4ourschools.org/about-us.html www.unitedoptout.com www.pegwithpen.com State Specific Watch-list http://www.studentsfirst.org/page/group/coloradoforeducationreform http://www.teachforamerica.org/where-we-work/colorado http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/colorado_alec_politicians http://stand.org/colorado http://www.dfer.org/branches/co/ http://www.mikejohnston.org/bio/ http://www.bennet.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/bennet-introduces-bipartisan-bill-to-createacademies-that-prepare-great-teachers-and-principals Additional Considerations or Miscellaneous Information We suggest demanding that National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) be used for those who feel a need to administer a standardized test. Read here to find out more: http://www.sdkrashen.com/articles/nut_no_unnecessary_testing.pdf
10 Additionally, if your school is participating in any field tests, these can easily be refused. Field tests are created to determine which questions to use on future tests, and, in essence, place students in a position of working for the corporations who develop these tests. We suggest refusing them. Some schools are calling them practice tests here in Colorado. If your child brings home homework in the form of test prep booklets, consider refusing these as well. Ask your child's teachers to provide alternative activities or creative projects in place of test preparation.