How do I refuse the PARCC? Is there a form I need to fill out?
It depends on the district. The New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) has told districts that it will not create policy on opting out, and districts may not make official policy either. Some districts are recognizing and using the Parent Exemption forms from the previous testing manual. Others are not. The best bet is to write a Refusal Letter and submit it to the district testing office. Letter templates can be found at nmoptout.org.
Do I have the right to opt out of PARCC testing?
Parents have the right to determine and guide the course of their children’s education. Children have the fundamental right to a free and appropriate public education. That means that parents have the right to see the materials used to educate their kids and choose to opt out. See nmoptout.org for more about opt out rights.
Will my school lose Federal funding if I refuse the PARCC?
No. If a school receives Title I funds from the Federal DOE, and that school does not meet the 95% test participation rate for two years in a row, the school will be required to allot up to 15% of its Title I funding to “improvement” projects.
Schools that do NOT receive Title I funds are not affected financially.
What about school grades? What happens if more than 5% refuse the PARCC and the school’s letter drops?
School grades loosely correspond to the Federal school rating guidelines, which label schools as Reward (A and B), Focus (C and D) or Priority (F) schools. If a school is in Focus or Priority status for two years without “growth,” it will be targeted for interventions from the state.
School grades were meant to gauge the academic progress of schools. By tying them to participation, USDOE and NM PED have made them punitive in order to ensure all students adhere to strict testing requirements.
Will refusing the PARCC hurt my child’s teacher?
Not necessarily. There is no provision in the NM teacher evaluation system that penalizes teachers for refusals. The effect on teachers in tested subjects would be hypothetical, since some kids wouldn’t be putting scores into that teacher’s average.
If an individual teacher doesn’t have enough students taking the PARCC, then his or her evaluation may include other test scores or the school’s grade instead of the PARCC scores. (This, by the way, is a back-up plan that shows clearly that there is no actual science involved in teacher evaluations.) Teachers who do not teach tested subjects will be evaluated on EoC tests or school grades.
Will refusing the PARCC affect my child’s academics in grades 3 through 8?
No. Absolutely not. If your child takes the PARCC test, the results will also not help your child’s teachers teach your child any better, since results are not available until the following year and no useful data is given to the teachers.
Will refusing the PARCC in grades 3 through 8 keep my child from graduating high school?
No. This is a rumor meant to scare parents. There is absolutely no policy that requires PARCC scores from elementary to middle school to be considered in high school graduation.
My district/principal told me that opting out is against Federal law, and is illegal. Is that true?
No. There is no law at the Federal or the state level regarding opting out or refusing at this time.
What will my child do on testing days if he/she refuses the PARCC?
This is totally up to the district. While districts cannot implement policies regarding opt out/refusal, they can decide what policies to implement regarding students who do refuse. Parents should find out what those policies are and if they can assist schools in choosing alternate activities that are educational and do not use much resources.
It depends on the district. The New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) has told districts that it will not create policy on opting out, and districts may not make official policy either. Some districts are recognizing and using the Parent Exemption forms from the previous testing manual. Others are not. The best bet is to write a Refusal Letter and submit it to the district testing office. Letter templates can be found at nmoptout.org.
Do I have the right to opt out of PARCC testing?
Parents have the right to determine and guide the course of their children’s education. Children have the fundamental right to a free and appropriate public education. That means that parents have the right to see the materials used to educate their kids and choose to opt out. See nmoptout.org for more about opt out rights.
Will my school lose Federal funding if I refuse the PARCC?
No. If a school receives Title I funds from the Federal DOE, and that school does not meet the 95% test participation rate for two years in a row, the school will be required to allot up to 15% of its Title I funding to “improvement” projects.
Schools that do NOT receive Title I funds are not affected financially.
What about school grades? What happens if more than 5% refuse the PARCC and the school’s letter drops?
School grades loosely correspond to the Federal school rating guidelines, which label schools as Reward (A and B), Focus (C and D) or Priority (F) schools. If a school is in Focus or Priority status for two years without “growth,” it will be targeted for interventions from the state.
School grades were meant to gauge the academic progress of schools. By tying them to participation, USDOE and NM PED have made them punitive in order to ensure all students adhere to strict testing requirements.
Will refusing the PARCC hurt my child’s teacher?
Not necessarily. There is no provision in the NM teacher evaluation system that penalizes teachers for refusals. The effect on teachers in tested subjects would be hypothetical, since some kids wouldn’t be putting scores into that teacher’s average.
If an individual teacher doesn’t have enough students taking the PARCC, then his or her evaluation may include other test scores or the school’s grade instead of the PARCC scores. (This, by the way, is a back-up plan that shows clearly that there is no actual science involved in teacher evaluations.) Teachers who do not teach tested subjects will be evaluated on EoC tests or school grades.
Will refusing the PARCC affect my child’s academics in grades 3 through 8?
No. Absolutely not. If your child takes the PARCC test, the results will also not help your child’s teachers teach your child any better, since results are not available until the following year and no useful data is given to the teachers.
Will refusing the PARCC in grades 3 through 8 keep my child from graduating high school?
No. This is a rumor meant to scare parents. There is absolutely no policy that requires PARCC scores from elementary to middle school to be considered in high school graduation.
My district/principal told me that opting out is against Federal law, and is illegal. Is that true?
No. There is no law at the Federal or the state level regarding opting out or refusing at this time.
What will my child do on testing days if he/she refuses the PARCC?
This is totally up to the district. While districts cannot implement policies regarding opt out/refusal, they can decide what policies to implement regarding students who do refuse. Parents should find out what those policies are and if they can assist schools in choosing alternate activities that are educational and do not use much resources.