Spring will soon be upon us. I can tell because my inboxes are filling with questions about state assessments and opt-outs. I am happy to answer questions for anyone who takes the time to contact me, but it is easiest for me to just explain it here. I will provide you with the information regarding accountability, and leave it to you to make your own decision, as a parent.

Common Core: As in every state that pushed back against Common Core, Louisiana is stuck with a rebrand of Common Core.  In the 2015 legislative session, a very lengthy, good-faith effort, was led by Representative Brett Geymann to review and revise the Common Core standards with the intent of producing a new set of standards. The result of HB-373 became known as the Great Compromise. The spirit of the compromise was violated at every turn, and every effort to make meaningful changes to the standards was blocked. In June of 2016, after the year long review process, the Louisiana Student Standards were approved by the Joint Education Committee. Since then, it has been determined that fewer than 6% of the standards were changed, and of that 6%, none had any change significant enough to change the standard. Louisiana still has Common Core.

Assessments: Also included in HB-373 was a stipulation that no more than 49% of the test items in the 15-16 assessment could come from the PARCC assessment. In an effort to at least appear to be complying, the state assessment was rebranded as the LEAP 2025. Because tests and test items are secure, there is no mechanism available to confirm compliance; however, at least ten teachers who administered the test in “read aloud small groups” confirmed that the test was identical to the PARCC test administered the previous year. There is no reason to believe this year will be any different.

High Stakes: In the 2016 legislative session, Senator Dan Morrish filed and ultimately passed SB-262 to protect students, teachers, schools, and districts, in the event the new standards were accepted. For the 16-17 school year, the Department of Education can administer the assessment for the new standards and collect data; however, the results of the test and the data cannot be used to determine student advancement to the next grade, or in rating a school. The distribution of school scores has to reflect that of the 12-13 assessment; unless the score of a school improved.

Parental Authority: The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld the parent’s authority to determine the manner in which their child is educated. The Every Student Succeeds Act clearly states that no state or federal law shall usurp the parent’s authority to exclude their child from state assessments. Some claim that this doesn’t apply because we aren’t under ESSA, yet. This is false. There was no provision in NCLB that denied this right to a parent, and even though states have not submitted and implemented their ESSA plans, the parental authority provision became effective the moment the bill was signed into law. Furthermore, any school or district that seeks to enforce a policy that challenges a parent’s authority, and places parents at odds with school personnel, is creating a hostile environment that isn’t conducive to learning and most certainly opens themselves up to litigation.

What should you do if you decide to opt-out your child?

  1. Contact the superintendent of your school district, directly, and ask for a written policy on opt-outs. When provided, forward a copy to contact@educatelouisiana.org.
  2. If the policy provided a.) acknowledges your right to exclude your child from testing b.) provides for a productive day in a setting away from testing for opt-out students, and c.) provides a form for opting out; follow the steps and turn in the form.

In the event that you do not receive a response, or the response states that your child will not be able to opt-out, compose a letter with all of the following components. Send the letter to the school principal and a copy to the superintendent with return receipt on both.

  1. Clearly state that you are exercising your authority as a parent to exclude your child from the state assessment.
  2. Request that during testing your child be provided with a day of instruction that cannot be perceived as punitive, in a room separate from testing, and supervised by an appropriately qualified adult.
  3. Be clear that any actions before, during, or after testing, that excludes your child from participation in clubs, activities or grade advancement because they did not participate in the state assessment, shall be deemed as discrimination, and a violation of your parental rights, and shall be met with legal action.

If you find yourself forced into a position where you have to communicate directly with a teacher, principal or superintendent, try to remain calm. Explain that your decision isn’t a personnel attack, but instead, an opposition to policy. Your decision is about your child and your authority as a parent. It is not about them, or their score, or their rating.

 

47 thoughts on “To Opt Out, Or Not!

  1. Concise. Accurate.
    SB-262 – I would argue that using assigned zeroes for non-participation in school performance scores IS including the data in school ratings. Aggregate scores are artificially lower. Maintaining the letter grade distribution is only part of the puzzle. NCLB required participation and proficiency rates to be 2 separate evaluations, but LA always ran a hybrid system that assigned zeroes at some point. This was questioned in the NCLB waiver proposal by the peer review team (or maybe it was public comment), but the US Dept of Ed didn’t require the state to fix that particular issue.

    With accountability rules related to ESSA no longer in existence, who knows if the state plans will get approved without scrutiny. We need a loud ballyhoo from all parties to stop the LDE from assigning zeroes to non-participants. We need the parents in districts that link standardized test scores to pupil progression plans (meaning promotion) to slap around a few superintendents.

    1. You are correct. ESSA, in fact, allows for the participate rate to be calculated, but does not require it to be used in the performance score. USDOE regulations provide four options for use of the data; however those regs will soon be repealed.

  2. I am scared bc last year I had to talk to the principal 2x in her office to try and change my mind. They made it very hard for me

  3. I don’t think parents are aware of the testing procedures. Children will be sitting in front of a computer screen for 90 minutes and 75 minutes everyday. Research proves that this amount of screen time is not healthy for children. Also, a person is to exercise good posture when sitting at the computer. What child does this? It makes me cringe to think that these children will be hunched over staring inches from the screen for hours a day. It’s ridiculous. I’ve already asked about opt-out options and my district said that there is no opt-out. If a child doesn’t take it, he/she gets a zero and so does this school.
    Does anyone know of any advocacy groups that would raise awareness to parents about this?? I want parents to be fully informed of what their child will be exposed to!

    1. Get all the parents you know on “OPT OUT LOUISIANA”, “BAD ASS TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONS” (on facebook), and this site of course.

  4. This is what I was told:
    Federal and state laws and regulations require inclusion of all students in state assessment and accountability measures
    In accordance to federal law, non participation will result in a negative impact (score 0) on school and district accountability measures.
    there is no provision in state and federal law that allows parents to voluntarily withdraw their child from state and federal required accountability measures.
    Additionally I was told if I refused to let my child take the test, I had to keep my child home and basically face truancy.
    I was also told my child will receive a 0 and will not be eligible for grants/scholarships or get into good high school.

    Again it all boils down to POLITICS and MONEY, schools are threaten with the loss of funding if children do not take the test.

    No proof of any claim was provided in writing. My Opt out was denied. I am still fighting it, though.

    1. There is no existing law, state or federal, that mandates a child to take the test. Federal accountability laws (ie. NCLB and ESSA) apply to school systems. Schools are expected to administer the test, and/or make it accessible, to a minimum of 95% of the students eligible to take the test. Louisiana’s old NCLB waiver is null and void as of 8/1/16, and we do not have an ESSA waiver in place, yet. The new ESSA law is in effect, and it explicitly acknowledges the parent’s right to exclude their child from state assessment. Please provide the district, school and name of principal via email to contact@educatelouisiana.org.

      1. Is this information still valid? I just submitted a letter to opt my son out of LEAP Test , he is in the 4th grade and I’m worried he won’t be promoted because of option out. Where can I go to pull up these laws in case I need to seek legal counsel if I get push back from the school. We’re in EBR school system.

  5. I am enrolling my child into public school for her 9th grade year after homeschooling for 2 years. Since I am registered as a non registered school not seeking state approval, I do not have to provide the state with any material for approval. I choose my own curriculum and create my own transcripts. Louisianabelieves.com states that she must take the LEAP before entry into 9th grade. Does the opt out apply in this situation?

    1. The State recently made policy changes regarding the “high stakes” of the 4th and 8th grade tests. The 8th grade test is used to determine whether a student is a “full” 9th grader, or a “transitional” 9th grader. Students tranferring from out of state, or from private schools without a test score are considered transitional. I assume the same would apply to homeschoolers.

      1. What about in 2018 being told your child has to do 50 hours of remediation in the last few months of school; 2 hours after school and Saturday. Should the parents not be able to opt out? Being told this will cause the child to be held back in 4th. Is this true?!

  6. Does anyone have any information on rescheduling the LEAP test? I’m an out of state parent and have scheduled for my kids to be out of town for that week this year. They both WANT to take the test but I can not reschedule this trip. Who do I contact? Any tips appreciated. St. Martins Parish – Stephensville Elementary

      1. You can Opt out. Write a formal letter letting the school principal and teachers know your child is not participating in the Leap test. Simple as that. That’s all I did and I have 2 children.

  7. I emailed an admin to opt – out my 10th grader for LEAP 2025. This is their response : EOC test (LEAP 2025 End of Course) tests are a required state assessed item for all students who attend public schools in the state. All students must pass these assessments in order to receive their diploma. We encourage you to complete them as soon as you can. Is this true?

    1. Not entirely correct. You don’t have to pass the test. The test counts as 20% of the final grade, so if the grades averages to a passing grade, the student passes. Technically, you could pass if you have an 85% average and a 0 on the EOC.

      1. Call DOE (225) 342-4776 ask them they will tell you. Let them know your want to opt your child out of Leap ask your questions and they will answer them to the full extent and you will know how to handle it. That is how I was able to proceed. We are not taking any state testing ever and my children honor students will move on to the next grade period. My child went from 4th to 5th no Leap now she’s about to graduate with a 3.8 going to 6th still no Leap! I don’t believe in state testing.

  8. We are enrolled with a online public charter school and are wanting to opt out of the Leap 2025. I have a third grader. On the website we are told that it is a requirement and if our child does not take the test, they may be removed from the program. I plan on sending our request for opt out within the next week. I was wondering if anyone had any information on if they actually can legally remove my child for not participating in the testing.

    1. Because they are a public school, funded by public money, I do not believe your child can be legally removed. While all schools are required to make the test accessible to all students, there is no mandate that a child must take the test. My guess is that they will do it, anyway, and the only resolution would be legal action. I understand that most parents can’t afford legal action; however, I am certain that it would only take one challenge, and the courts would rule that it is a violation of federal law to force children to take the test.

      1. Some schools have it on their handbook that students must take the LEAP 2025, so when you sign up your child you are agreeing that the child will test. Other schools require you to provide LEAP scores for previous years for enrollment.

  9. If I understand correctly…
    If my child is opted out from LEAP testing, there will be a zero averaged into his final grades for each subject. That is 20% of his ELA grade will be a zero, 20% of his math grade will be a zero, 20% of his social studies grade will be a zero, and 20% of his science grade will be a zero??? Is this correct? If he is penalized for opting out, isnt that the same as saying he gets punished for not taking the test??? What happened to freedom of choice without punishment for making a decision based on free will? The stress placed on my child to do well on LEAP is torture for him. He has ADHD and daily classwork, daily homework, and testing 2, 3, and sometimes 4 times per week is very difficult for him. He is doing good in school now but in the beginning of this school year he struggled just to make C’s and D’s. He has tutoring about 6-8 hours per month plus nightly studying and homework every week. His grades are A’s and B’s as of the 3rd nine weeks. It would be devastating to him if his grades he worked so hard for were decreased an entire letter grade simply because he opted out of the LEAP test. How is this not considered a punishment? He has worked all year just to have his grades decreased at the end of the school year. Thats robbery in my opinion. I dont feel like we have a choice but to let him take the test. What happened to freedom of choice? Why must my child’s grades suffer because of his choice not to test? I also dont think its fare to lower the school’s average or judge the teacher’s teaching abilities based on a zero for opting out of the LEAP test. This score should in no way effect other pieces of this puzzle. After reading this information, I now have to rethink this (non) choice to opt out.

  10. I am being told that my son has to take the leap 2025 in order to graduate. Is this true please? They are telling me I can’t opt out or he won’t graduate??

  11. Hello. I need to know exactly what to do about opting out. My daughter is already virtual for 2021 school year and I am not sending her to school for a test that I see here is not required. Will she still go to the next grade as she will be in 4th grade next year. I am opting out. I didn’t take any state test and I am a nurse and passed every core class with A’s and B’s so who do I opt out with in my parish.

  12. Can you opt out of Leap2025 in Louisiana in 2021? My children are all virtual, and they would have me send them into a school that has 1/4 of the students out for covid exposure for an entire week for testing after keeping them home for the entire year. I have sent an opt out letter to the superintendent and I have not received anything back as of yet. It has been 7 days. Testing for my high schooler is in 4 days.

  13. I have sent an opt out letter to my daughter’s principal today. Her teacher told me if I don’t want her to take the test she does not have too. My child has been doing vitural as well. I will not have her take the Leap regardless of what anyone says.

  14. My child is virtual and has been for the past 3 years does he have to take the leap to graduate I’m being told he does. He is a senior and this test could determine if he graduates he passed all his core classes I don’t feel comfortable with this one test determining my child’s fate! Is there a way around it?

    1. Louisiana law provides that all public school student must pass the LEAP2025 exams in either English I or English II, and Algebra I or Geometry, and U.S. History or Biology. Private school students and home-schooled students are not required.

  15. I have a special needs child who just entered into 9th grade. The school evaluated him 1 point below on his IQ testing to qualify him for LEAP Connects. We didn’t agree for the evaluation and we have a pending IEE. We don’t believe he is significantly delayed. However, he has never done well on any of his LEAP scores in the past. Why isn’t there an opt-out option for special needs children? Why are these assessments required to receive a high school diploma? Special needs people already have a hard enough time finding a job as it is not to mention equal pay. Do special needs children have any other option besides this assessment to get a diploma?

  16. Question. If we opt out of LEAP. They told me that it is 10% of their grade. How do I handle that not effecting him. Last year he didn’t do well and his B in ELA went to a C bc of LEAP. I do not agree with this any answers?

    1. You don’t mention the grade level, or the parish. Some of these things vary depending on the district. For example, a high school exam counts for 20% of a final grade in every district, but lower levels are determined by each district. If a district is offering a combination of LEAP and grade earned as a final grade, take it. It’s far better than a LEAP score causing a failure. I would, however, question how the 10% is calculated.

  17. All ESL students are required to take all portions of the LEAP 2025 test. If the student has been here since February, she is still required to take the assessment–in English. What a waste of time and money! They need two solid years of English instruction to even complete the test accurately.

    Why are reading passages on the LEAP 2025 test above the assigned grade level that they are administered to?

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