The State Department of Education reports that a “greater number of parents [are] desiring to remove their children from participation in the statewide testing program.”
In previous years only a handful of parents statewide sought an exemption from the state and federal requirements that every student be tested in math, reading and writing in Grades 3 through 8 and 10th grade. Science tests are administered in selected grades as well.
The department in itsr monthly newsletter suggests that local educators and state officials respond to such requests by telling parents “that the district has no degrees of freedom in the matter… As long as the student is enrolled in a Connecticut public school, the district is required to test them.”
In cases where parents still refuse to allow their child to be tested, the district “generally” does not test the student and “the state, to date, has not done any follow-up on these cases” the department reports.
The department also provides a sample letter for districts to use to give to parents who ask that their child not be tested.
“Until such legislation changes, the Department of Education and each school district must comply with federal and state mandates,” reads the letter.
Monthly newsletter.
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Sample letter created by State Department of Education.
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