Последнее изменение: 7 февраля, 2025

Policy 4400 Procedure 1: Opting Out of State Testing

Download Policy 4400 Procedure 1: Opting Out of State Testing

The Board recognizes the requirements from the State and Federal Departments of Education for students in Provo City School District to participate in assessments of student performance. The Board desires to work in partnership with families and supports parents’ rights to make decisions associated with their children’s education.

Utah Code 53G-6-803(9) identifies that a parent or guardian may opt out of state testing for their students:

Upon the written request of a student’s parent or guardian, an LEA shall excuse the student from taking a test that is administered statewide or the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

The same code also directs that district schools and employees do not suffer any adverse impact as a result of students opting out of state testing:

The State Board of Education shall ensure through board rule that neither an LEA nor its employees are negatively impacted through school accountability or employee evaluation due to a student not taking a test pursuant to Subsection (9)(a).

Opt-out Process

Parents who wish to opt their children out of the standardized state assessments should communicate with a school administrator annually to obtain, complete, and submit the Standardized Testing Opt-out Form for Elementary or the Standardized Testing Opt-out Form for Secondary. The school administrator will accept the form, confirming the request for non-participation coding on the test.

Opt-out Eligible Tests

The following tests are included under the state’s Parental Exclusion directives; consequently, the district will honor parent/guardian requests for students to be excluded from these tests:

RISE (Readiness, Improvement, Success & Empowerment) Summative Tests
RISE (Readiness, Improvement, Success & Empowerment) Interim Tests
RISE (Readiness, Improvement, Success & Empowerment) Benchmark Tests
Utah Aspire Plus Test
Acadience Reading Test
Acadience Math Test
High School Civics Test (While parents may opt out of this test, by Utah law, it is required for high school graduation.)
CTE Skill Certification Tests (While parents may opt out of these tests, by Utah law, it is required for CTE certifications.)
ACT (American Collegiate Test)
NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress)
UAA/DLM (Utah’s Alternative Assessment/Dynamic Learning Maps)
AAPPL (Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages) Tests
USBE’s General Financial Literacy Assessment

Some tests are required by federal law and tied to federal funding. These tests do NOT fall under the Opting Out of State Testing policy, for which Provo City School District is not required to honor requests for students to opt out:

WIDA ACCESS Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners

Последствия

A student who is excluded from any test will not receive a score for that assessment. Opting out of an assessment will not negatively affect a student’s grade, nor will it affect the opportunities students have for participation in a full range of academic programs and services. However, standardized test scores are frequently used to determine placement in advanced courses/programs and to identify specific instructional needs of and services for students. If a student opts out of testing, a score will not exist to support these decisions. Furthermore, the High School Civics test is required by law for high school graduation, and CTE Skills Certification Tests are required in order to provide a certificate. Parents/guardians are encouraged to work with school staff to ensure students have assessment data to support student goals. In addition to potential student-specific adverse effects from test exclusion, schools and districts may be negatively affected when multiple students are excluded from testing, as school and district accountability measures would not reflect the performance of the complete student body. Such non-participation may impact a district’s qualification for, and receipt of, federal funds.

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Принято

10 февраля 2015 г.
Revised: January 14, 2025