The Arizona Legislature has adjourned Sine Die. The Fifty-Second Legislature, Second Regular Session ended May 7, 2016. Unfortunately, the majority of legislators (including all Democrats) refused to respect parents’ rights in voting Nay to SB1455 (parental opt out) . Yet, in liberal left New York, young school children happily joined together to stiffen adult spines against statewide (nationalized) assessments.
You can put the test in front of these kids, but they refused to take it. In some districts the opt out rate is 50-89%. Last year, 220k opted out of the insane testing. This year, New York’s final opt out numbers will likely be more, even after the educrats tried compromising with them. See Even after compromises, opt-out movement gains steam locally. As of 4/22/2016, an estimated 367 school districts had exceeded 5% refusals for the ELA portion of their standardized (Common Core) exam. And in Math, about 227 districts had exceeded 5% refusals. Some districts are seeing 89% of students opting out. See PUBLIC COPY 2016 Refusal Policy and Count.
In stark contrast, Arizona school districts and legislators ran around waving their hands in the air apoplectic that if they allowed parents to opt their children out of abusive, obsessive testing (SB1455), the state wouldn’t get 95% participation, and would maybe, possibly, lose federal money. (Isn’t it ironic that the Arizona State Board of Education signed onto Common Core without a thought to the cost, which was ultimately estimated at $387 million?)
Arizona Senator Debbie Lesko (R-LD21) voted Nay to SB1455, offering a red herring argument, "but aren’t you glad I voted to give schools some rights (HB2144 Menu of Assessments )?" (Sure, parents don’t need rights.)
Bully Senator John Kavanagh (R-LD23) voted Nay to SB1455 Opt Out bill, "Not just no, but H**L No"!
Senator Martin Quezada (D-LD29) voted Nay to SB1455, but he wants everyone to know that he "felt conflicted."
In fact, every gutless Democrat voted Nay to the fundamental, inalienable right of parents to be the best judge of what’s best for their own children.
As stated by Diane Ravitch, Research Professor of Education, New York University, in Why Every Child Should Opt Out of the Standardized Tests:
"Want to end the obsession with standardized testing? Opt your children out of the state tests.
"Ignore the threats from state and federal officials. The tests today have taken over too much of the school year. Teachers should prepare and give tests that cover what they taught.
"What if all students opted out of testing? That’s democracy in action. The elected officials who mandate these tests would take notice. They might even discover that no high-performing nation in the world tests every child every year.
"The testing regime is destroying education.It is driven by politicians who think that tests make students smarter and by educrats who fear to think an independent thought."
See Also:
New York Sees Massive Number of Assessment Opt-Outs Again
Vacancy on the Arizona State Board of Education’s Standards Development Committee
The Schools’ War on Arizona’s Children: Part 3 Emotional Child Abuse
Sen. Allen Calls On Educators To Respect Parent’s Rights
Beautiful Letter from an Arizona Teacher to Her Students
The Schools’ War on Arizona’s Children: Part 2 Online Charter Schools
Opt Out Movement should Flourish During Testing Season
The Schools’ War On Arizona’s Children: Part 1
Dear Senators: "About your decision to disregard parental authority….."
What’s the Score? Holding Florida’s Education Accountability System Accountable
These are the Senators Who Sneer at Parental Authority
19 Congressmen Reassert Parents and Students’ Right to Opt-Out of High Stakes State Assessments.
Please Contact These Senators who Voted No to Parental Opt Out Rights.
Letter of Assertion to Opt Out and Refuse the AZMerit Test.
Opt Out FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
The National Common Core Standards System
Marriage & Family Parental Rights
Why is the U.S. Department of Education Weakening FERPA?
Personally Identifiable Information Requests from the Arizona Department of Education.
A Day in the Life of a Data Mined Kid
Teacher Evaluation Should Not Rest on Student Test Scores (Revised 2016)
Letter of Assertion to Opt Out and Refuse the AZMerit Test
Arizona Schools’ Report Cards.
Why Parents are Opting Their Children out of High Stakes Testing
No Fear of Federal Financial Impact for Your School if you Boycott Standardized Tests