do you think it is fair to make a 4th grader

[SparklyUnicorn]

sit through a 2.5 hour test?

 

 

[luuknam]

Context?

[Carol in Cal.]

I think it's insane.

 

Yet our state does it every year.

Edited June 7, 2016 by Carol in Cal.

[Guest]

No. I dont think it is healthy or wise to make 4th graders SIT for 2.5 hours of anything.

 

Unfair might be the wrong word, since all the other kids would be doing it, presumabbly, but stupid sounds good.

[hornblower]

regularly or a one of or yearly ? 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Context?

 

Not sure what context has to do with it, but I will explain why I'm asking.

 

You are in NY so you know the regs.  My district offers a test for grades 4 through 8.  I never take them up on it, and so far that has not been an issue.  But the reason I don't is because the test is 2.5 hours long in one sitting.  I know my 8th grader could handle that no problem.  I know for a fact my 4th grader would have a major mental breakdown because he did just that when I tested at home and didn't have him sit nearly that long (I broke it up).  I don't consider this fair and they do not do that in our district.  They break it up more than that.  They also no longer time the tests. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

No. I dont think it is healthy or wise to make 4th graders SIT for 2.5 hours of anything.

 

Unfair might be the wrong word, since all the other kids would be doing it, presumabbly, but stupid sounds good.

 

When I used the paper test myself, it says right in there they recommend not doing that all in one sitting. 

[luuknam]

No. I dont think it is healthy or wise to make 4th graders SIT for 2.5 hours of anything.

 

Unfair might be the wrong word, since all the other kids would be doing it, presumabbly, but stupid sounds good.

 

This.

 

Personally, I wouldn't have much of an issue with making my entering 4th grader take a 2.5 hour test (assuming it's multiple choice), since he's super fast and will be done in 30-40min. That said, anyone around him will be miserable if he's then required to sit quietly at his desk, because that ain't going to happen. If this were in school, I'm sure his 1-1 aide would happily remove him from the classroom at that point though (note that we haven't had the IEP meeting for 4th grade yet, but he had a 1-1 aide on his IEP for 3rd grade).

[Guest]

Actually unfair might be a fine word because wasnt there something a few years ago about how kids consistently did worse on the last test they took than the first, regardless of the subject? From being just plumb worn out by then.

[SparklyUnicorn]

This.

 

Personally, I wouldn't have much of an issue with making my entering 4th grader take a 2.5 hour test (assuming it's multiple choice), since he's super fast and will be done in 30-40min. That said, anyone around him will be miserable if he's then required to sit quietly at his desk, because that ain't going to happen. If this were in school, I'm sure his 1-1 aide would happily remove him from the classroom at that point though (note that we haven't had the IEP meeting for 4th grade yet, but he had a 1-1 aide on his IEP for 3rd grade).

 

That's not how those work though. 

[Arcadia]

DS11 did that since 2nd grade state testing for language arts and math. He finished early for math but took the recommended time for Language Arts. Yearly, it wasn't an issue and they have a snack and toilet break during the test around the halfway point.

 

My boys did spend two mornings on Stanford 10 online before 4th grade so I won't call 2.5hrs of testing unfair.

 

Once my oldest did 4hrs of placement tests as a 2nd grader. It was the teacher that had a hard time sitting that long :lol:

 

ETA:

The unintended effect was that my wiggle worm DS10 had no problems sitting still for AMC8. He was used to "test conditions".

Edited June 7, 2016 by Arcadia

[hornblower]

.

Edited June 7, 2016 by hornblower

[luuknam]

When I used the paper test myself, it says right in there they recommend not doing that all in one sitting. 

 

Well, then it's stupid, because while it isn't necessarily unfair to the kids, the school is setting itself up for doing worse than other schools who do follow the recommendation to spread the test out over multiple sittings. And last time I checked, these tests affected schools more than the kids (iirc here the tests you mention don't affect the kids at all, other than that they are the ones having to take them - but it doesn't have an impact on their future anything).

[SparklyUnicorn]

Actually unfair might be a fine word because wasnt there something a few years ago about how kids consistently did worse on the last test they took than the first, regardless of the subject? From being just plumb worn out by then.

 

Luckily I have gotten away with doing the tests at home.  Anyone can come along though and give me a hard time and this is a new person in the district so I always brace myself for that possibility.  They ask that I return the form to tell them what I have decided to do.  Every year I toss it.  There is nothing in the regulations that say I have to respond to that form and there is no mention of such form. 

 

I already did the testing for the year.  Not to mention they don't give much notice in terms of when the test will happen, and they give the god damned thing in the summer AFTER school has finished.  Bite me.  My kids take a vacation and go to CT to spend time with family.  That's way more important to me than some stupid standardized test.

Edited June 7, 2016 by SparklyUnicorn

[vonfirmath]

I'm pretty sure the STAAR test my 3rd grader took had a blocked out 4 hour time period. Every student in their school took it.  This time, though, included breaks (water, bathroom, snack. physical and mental breaks)

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Well, then it's stupid, because while it isn't necessarily unfair to the kids, the school is setting itself up for doing worse than other schools who do follow the recommendation to spread the test out over multiple sittings. And last time I checked, these tests affected schools more than the kids (iirc here the tests you mention don't affect the kids at all, other than that they are the ones having to take them - but it doesn't have an impact on their future anything).

 

This is for homeschoolers.  What do they care?  I doubt the scores get lumped in with public schooled kids.  For one thing they don't even use the NY tests!

[luuknam]

That's not how those work though. 

 

Yeah, I really don't know what exactly they do in 4th-8th grade in public school here. I know we're supposed to give a standardized test at least every other year as homeschoolers in 4th-8th grade, but we can do those at home. I gave my almost-finished-3rd grader the CAT in early May and we split it up as suggested in the instructions.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yeah, I really don't know what exactly they do in 4th-8th grade in public school here. I know we're supposed to give a standardized test at least every other year as homeschoolers in 4th-8th grade, but we can do those at home. I gave my almost-finished-3rd grader the CAT in early May and we split it up as suggested in the instructions.

 

Yeah I've done the paper CAT and this year I tried the on-line untimed version.  I think next time I'll go back to the paper one for the younger kid.  The problem with the untimed one is that it is SO MUCH LONGER. 

 

The older kid buzzed through it insanely fast. The younger kid was pretty upset with having to spend so much time on it.

[SparklyUnicorn]

If they are not accustomed to sitting for that long then yes, it would be unfair, even cruel. Mine wouldn't last. Well maybe dd, but definitely not ds10. 

 

This is exactly it in my mind.  My kids generally do not sit at a desk for hours at a time.  They never have.  And their first standardized testing situation was in the 4th grade.  So to drop a 2.5 hour test on them for the first time in 4th grade would have been mean.

 

I just wonder what the hell the district is thinking.

Edited June 7, 2016 by SparklyUnicorn

[luuknam]

Luckily I have gotten away with doing the tests at home.  Anyone can come along though and give me a hard time and this is a new person in the district so I always brace myself for that possibility.  They ask that I return the form to tell them what I have decided to do.  Every year I toss it.  There is nothing in the regulations that say I have to respond to that form and there is no mention of such form. 

 

I already did the testing for the year.  Not to mention they don't give much notice in terms of when the test will happen, and they give the god damned thing in the summer AFTER school has finished.  Bite me.  My kids take a vacation and go to CT to spend time with family.  That's way more important to me than some stupid standardized test.

 

Does your school end early? Here school ends quite close to the end of June, and the recommended date (given by the district - we can obviously pick any date so long as it's before July 1st) for the last quarterly report/annual eval is the same as the last day of school, so testing during summer break wouldn't even be an option in order to meet the deadline to hand in the results. Anything starting July 1st is part of next school year.

 

This is for homeschoolers.  What do they care?  I doubt the scores get lumped in with public schooled kids.  For one thing they don't even use the NY tests!

 

Okay, that wasn't obvious from your first post(s) though. I thought you were referring to the state testing. We were invited to participate in the state testing in March or April or whenever it was and declined, because why would we? (I don't think we could've even counted it for annual eval purposes) I think that testing would've been lumped in with the schooled kids.

[luuknam]

This is exactly it in my mind.  My kids generally do not sit at a desk for hours at a time.  They never have.  And their first standardized testing situation was in the 4th grade.  So to drop a 2.5 hour test on them for the first time in 4th grade would have been mean.

 

I just wonder what the hell the district is thinking.

 

They're probably thinking the obvious, which is that it's cheaper (for them) to do it in one sitting. It also reduces the odds that a kid will be ill during one of the testing sessions and will need to make up part of the test. And since it doesn't affect them, what do they care about the scores? Maybe more kids will fail the test, but that just means those kids are more likely to return to their school, at which point they'll get funding for those kids again. From their perspective, doing it in one 2.5 hour session is probably just a win-win situation.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Does your school end early? Here school ends quite close to the end of June, and the recommended date (given by the district - we can obviously pick any date so long as it's before July 1st) for the last quarterly report/annual eval is the same as the last day of school, so testing during summer break wouldn't even be an option in order to meet the deadline to hand in the results. Anything starting July 1st is part of next school year.

 

 

Okay, that wasn't obvious from your first post(s) though. I thought you were referring to the state testing. We were invited to participate in the state testing in March or April or whenever it was and declined, because why would we? (I don't think we could've even counted it for annual eval purposes) I think that testing would've been lumped in with the schooled kids.

 

I have never been invited to the state testing.

 

They don't get out early.  That date is probably the day after they get out.  They have offered that test as late as July.  It is after the cut off, but I assume since they are doing that they aren't going to care about that. 

 

I think March/April is way more reasonable.  I do our testing in February or March. 

 

Plus it is very hot that time of year and the schools do not have climate control for hot weather.  So I'm supposed to send my kid who has never tested, can't sit that long, to a strange hot building, to take a damn test?  That would be a disaster. 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

And of course I can't complain because I have no damn rights.  They can decide to do whatever it is they want to do.  The regs on that issue are vague enough for them to have total control.

 

 

[luuknam]

And of course I can't complain because I have no damn rights.  They can decide to do whatever it is they want to do.  The regs on that issue are vague enough for them to have total control.

 

But, you can have the testing done by a person mutually agreeable to the superintendent and the parents (or a NYS certified teacher, I think?). And I don't think they can insist that their testing is the only testing they'll mutually agree upon. They don't necessarily have to allow you to do the testing yourself, but you don't have to go along with their testing. I'm not even sure if they have to offer the homeschool testing.

[SparklyUnicorn]

But, you can have the testing done by a person mutually agreeable to the superintendent and the parents (or a NYS certified teacher, I think?). And I don't think they can insist that their testing is the only testing they'll mutually agree upon. They don't necessarily have to allow you to do the testing yourself, but you don't have to go along with their testing. I'm not even sure if they have to offer the homeschool testing.

 

Yeah I've got lots of certified teacher friends.

 

No..I don't.  LOL

 

It'll probably be fine. 

[luuknam]

Yeah I've got lots of certified teacher friends.

 

No..I don't.  LOL

 

Ask around - quite a number of homeschoolers used to be school teachers, so one of your friends might be or at least might know someone who is. You'd probably have to pay them a little to watch your kid take the test, but (homeschool friendly) NYS certified teachers aren't that hard to find.

[Peaceful Isle]

My my fourth grader did testings this last month. He did two days ( half days) one for language art, and one for math. They had breaks every so often, but I wouldn't be surprised if they sat at least 2 hours at a time for part of the testings.

It didn't bother my son at all, and he enjoyed making friends on the breaks they gave hm.

Just my experience. :)

[SparklyUnicorn]

Ask around - quite a number of homeschoolers used to be school teachers, so one of your friends might be or at least might know someone who is. You'd probably have to pay them a little to watch your kid take the test, but (homeschool friendly) NYS certified teachers aren't that hard to find.

 

Yeah I'd probably have to pay them a lot because they'd have to come here more than once.  I already did the tests.  They can bite me if they have an issue.

 

I've done it a few times already so it should be fine.  We've been through 4 supers since I've been in this district and each time I just hold my breath.

 

And really if they want to be like that about it, I could be like that about it too because they do not do their part with following the regs.  They don't respond to any of the paperwork ever.  Not the notice of intent, and not the IHIP.

[luuknam]

Yeah I'd probably have to pay them a lot because they'd have to come here more than once.  I already did the tests.  They can bite me if they have an issue.

 

I've done it a few times already so it should be fine.  We've been through 4 supers since I've been in this district and each time I just hold my breath.

 

And really if they want to be like that about it, I could be like that about it too because they do not do their part with following the regs.  They don't respond to any of the paperwork ever.  Not the notice of intent, and not the IHIP.

 

It's my understanding that on your 3rd quarterly you have to tell them what test you're going to use and who is going to administer it. I have no idea how much time they have to respond to that to tell you that they don't mutually agree upon that, but if you don't hear from them, then that's implied consent in my opinion (note that my standard here is different than e.g. sex with an unconscious person, where silence does not mean implied consent).

[SparklyUnicorn]

It's my understanding that on your 3rd quarterly you have to tell them what test you're going to use and who is going to administer it. I have no idea how much time they have to respond to that to tell you that they don't mutually agree upon that, but if you don't hear from them, then that's implied consent in my opinion (note that my standard here is different than e.g. sex with an unconscious person, where silence does not mean implied consent).

 

Nope.  It's only a recommendation and not a requirement. I've never done it.

 

from the Q & A:

 

55. When should parents inform the school district of their choice of a standardized test or alternative evaluation method?

No date is specified in the regulation but it is recommended that parents provide this information by the end of the third quarterly reporting period.

 

If you look through the regs it says nothing about telling them ahead.  It certainly says nothing about responding to their request for your plans either.  That is the one piece of paper they do send me.  I just throw it out. 

 

[Alessandra]

Sparkly

 

Interesting question. I am in NJ, but I follow the opt out movement, which is strong in NY. I don't know about homeschoolers opting out, but do you follow what Betty Rosa, the new Chancellor of the Board of Regents, says about testing? She would opt out. In NYC, the Public Advocate made announcements to make sure parents knew their rights about opting out. Google, or check out comments in Diane Ravitch's blog.

 

(Btw, I am not against all testing, just against high stakes testing.)

[SparklyUnicorn]

Sparkly

 

Interesting question. I am in NJ, but I follow the opt out movement, which is strong in NY. I don't know about homeschoolers opting out, but do you follow what Betty Rosa, the new Chancellor of the Board of Regents, says about testing? She would opt out. In NYC, the Public Advocate made announcements to make sure parents knew their rights about opting out. Google, or check out comments in Diane Ravitch's blog.

 

(Btw, I am not against all testing, just against high stakes testing.)

 

Oh I would opt out in a heartbeat, but first off I don't know how this would work as a homeschooler in NY.  And an even bigger issue is that my district does not allow its public schooled students to opt out.  Many districts do.  Now how that plays out if someone is hell bent on opting out, I do not know.  I know of no local case where this has happened. 

 

If I don't follow the homeschool regulations, I imagine this could cause issues worse than dealing with the testing requirement.  That could open me up to being accused of educational neglect. 

 

I read of one case of a homeschooling family refusing somewhere in NY.  I could not find any information regarding the ultimate outcome of that.  I'm just not sure this is a hill to die on.  My kids score in the 99th percentile across the board so it's not much skin off their nose.  KWIM?  In the event they wanted me to do testing at the school, which I know they can't force me to do (but it might be more desirable than trying to find some other arrangement they'd agree to), I would insist they allow my younger kid to be given more than one 2.5 hour all at once testing time.  I think I'd have a much more compelling argument insisting on that than insisting on no testing at all. 

 

 

Edited June 8, 2016 by SparklyUnicorn

[SKL]

With no breaks at all, that would be ridiculous.

2.5 hours with breaks would be OK for most NT 4th graders.

[SparklyUnicorn]

With no breaks at all, that would be ridiculous.

2.5 hours with breaks would be OK for most NT 4th graders.

 

Well given that the test says it takes 2.5 hours to administer I'm assuming no breaks since the testing time they gave was 2.5 hours.

 

Maybe my kid isn't "normal".  He just can't sit there for 2.5 hours staring at a test. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Is there any impact for not scoring well? I ask because ds got bored with DORA a few years back and just started answering randomly the first time. It didn't impact me other than have to pay for another test and we broke it up into smaller chunks. 

 

The scoring requirements are low.  33rd percentile or growth from one year to the next (which is as vague as it sounds)  And that is not an automatic "you can't homeschool".  You would just have to come up with a plan to address it.  This would be particularly problematic for someone who had a kid who could not test for some reason.  No clue how people deal with that.

[sweetpea3829]

Sparks...

 

This is for a 4th grader?  You do know that you don't have to test in 4th grade, right?  You can use your 4th grade year as a narrative year and test in 5th and 7th.  

 

As far as I know, this has been tested across the board through NYHEN and districts have no say (unlike the broad spectrum of vagueness that we find elsewhere in the regs).  

 

Are you referring to the STAR assessment?  My oldest two are taking it this year and they assured me it's a 30 minute test.  Though DD (who has significant LD issues) will have more time.  

[Dmmetler]

Sadly, my first response is "only 2.5 hours?" The last year I taught, I tested 2nd graders, and they had about that per day for four days (with some breaks, but it was still several hours of being quiet and testing), with a 5th for make ups. Poor kids had more hours of testing than the law students testing to pass the Bar did.

[sweetpea3829]

Also...because my DD has significant LD issues, we've gone back and forth with her IESP team on how to handle her testing requirements.  Because 33% (I thought it was 30%?) may not be attainable for her.  And I was not happy about having her sit for a 4th grade test to establish a baseline score, given that much of the content would be stuff she's never seen yet.  But they tell me the STAR adjusts to the student's ability.

 

And...if she fails to meet their standards, they will consider her IESP as her "Remediation plan".  

 

Fortunately for us, our district personnel have been pleasant to deal with.  We'll see if that continues once I wrap up my research phase and begin advocating for the district to allow homeschoolers to integrate within the public school for music, art, specials, AP, etc.  

[Farrar]

"Fair" is an interesting way of framing it.

 

Possible? Sure. I think most 4th graders can be made to do it.

Useful? Well, I think it will produce a measurable outcome that is valid. Thus, I get why they do it.

Optimal? No way. Kids that young needing to focus that long is bonkers in terms of their value by the end of the test.

Crazy? Depends on how you think about it. I think the whole premise of high stakes testing at that age is crazy.

 

So... fair? I don't know. Putting aside any issues of whether standardized testing can be fair (say, because of economic inequality and kids not having a level playing field to start out with)... It's "fair" in that all the 4th graders will take the same test with the same testing conditions barring IEP's, the purpose of which is to compensate and get a child closer to their version of those fair conditions. That's a definition of fair. But it's unfair in that it's asking them to perform at such sub-optimal conditions for their age. It's setting many kids who could do very well under other testing situations for failure, which certainly seems unfair, especially since they're so young.

 

I think it's probably, on the whole, "fair." However, I still think it's wrong.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Sadly, my first response is "only 2.5 hours?" The last year I taught, I tested 2nd graders, and they had about that per day for four days (with some breaks, but it was still several hours of being quiet and testing), with a 5th for make ups. Poor kids had more hours of testing than the law students testing to pass the Bar did.

 

Well, they used to do that here too.  They changed it though.  They test for fewer hours, have started not testing kids so young, and now they don't time the tests.  Because gee maybe finally someone realized that's not right!

[vonfirmath]

Well given that the test says it takes 2.5 hours to administer I'm assuming no breaks since the testing time they gave was 2.5 hours.

 

Maybe my kid isn't "normal".  He just can't sit there for 2.5 hours staring at a test. 

 

The STAAR tests I mentioned previously have a "Test time" of 4 hours. But that 4 hours INCLUDES break times include restroom breaks, physical and mental breaks, etc.

[SparklyUnicorn]

"Fair" is an interesting way of framing it.

 

Possible? Sure. I think most 4th graders can be made to do it.

Useful? Well, I think it will produce a measurable outcome that is valid. Thus, I get why they do it.

Optimal? No way. Kids that young needing to focus that long is bonkers in terms of their value by the end of the test.

Crazy? Depends on how you think about it. I think the whole premise of high stakes testing at that age is crazy.

 

So... fair? I don't know. Putting aside any issues of whether standardized testing can be fair (say, because of economic inequality and kids not having a level playing field to start out with)... It's "fair" in that all the 4th graders will take the same test with the same testing conditions barring IEP's, the purpose of which is to compensate and get a child closer to their version of those fair conditions. That's a definition of fair. But it's unfair in that it's asking them to perform at such sub-optimal conditions for their age. It's setting many kids who could do very well under other testing situations for failure, which certainly seems unfair, especially since they're so young.

 

I think it's probably, on the whole, "fair." However, I still think it's wrong.

 

Well fair, sane, right, LOL 

 

I know my 4th grader could not do it, and I don't think that means something is wrong with him. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Sparks...

 

This is for a 4th grader?  You do know that you don't have to test in 4th grade, right?  You can use your 4th grade year as a narrative year and test in 5th and 7th.  

 

As far as I know, this has been tested across the board through NYHEN and districts have no say (unlike the broad spectrum of vagueness that we find elsewhere in the regs).  

 

Are you referring to the STAR assessment?  My oldest two are taking it this year and they assured me it's a 30 minute test.  Though DD (who has significant LD issues) will have more time.  

 

Ah yes that is right.  Forgot about that. 

 

I already did the test.  But I could do the alternate.

[SparklyUnicorn]

No it's not the STAR.  It is the Terra Nova.

 

 

[Alessandra]

Oh I would opt out in a heartbeat, but first off I don't know how this would work as a homeschooler in NY. And an even bigger issue is that my district does not allow its public schooled students to opt out. Many districts do. Now how that plays out if someone is hell bent on opting out, I do not know. I know of no local case where this has happened.

 

If I don't follow the homeschool regulations, I imagine this could cause issues worse than dealing with the testing requirement. That could open me up to being accused of educational neglect.

 

I read of one case of a homeschooling family refusing somewhere in NY. I could not find any information regarding the ultimate outcome of that. I'm just not sure this is a hill to die on. My kids score in the 99th percentile across the board so it's not much skin off their nose. KWIM? In the event they wanted me to do testing at the school, which I know they can't force me to do (but it might be more desirable than trying to find some other arrangement they'd agree to), I would insist they allow my younger kid to be given more than one 2.5 hour all at once testing time. I think I'd have a much more compelling argument insisting on that than insisting on no testing at all.

 

 

It sounds as though taking the test is the best thing in your situation. In NJ, there is five days of testing, beginning in 3rd grade.

 

About opting out, if a kid is enrolled in school in NY. My understanding is that a district cannot say that they do not allow opt outs, or as it may be called now, refusals. Some districts are understanding, some are firm, and some are downright malicious. But parents still have the right to refuse to gave their kids participate in high stakes testing.

 

I realize that your testing and high stakes testing and quite different, but I wanted to make the in school options clear.

 

https://dianeravitch.net/2016/04/02/nyc-public-advocate-letitia-james-advises-parents-that-they-have-a-right-to-opt-out-of-the-tests/

 

https://dianeravitch.net/2016/03/25/parents-applaud-election-of-betty-rosa-as-chancellor-of-new-york-board-of-regents/

Edited June 8, 2016 by Alessandra

[luuknam]

No it's not the STAR.  It is the Terra Nova.

 

Then it's 2 hours 50 min, not 2.5 hours (not that that improves things).

 

http://www.setontesting.com/pdf/TerraNova.pdf

[SKL]

IIRC my kids did Terra Nova for 3 weeks in the 2nd grade.  (Achievement + cognitive.)  I think it was 2 hours per day.  Needless to say, my kid who had just turned 7 pooped out before it was over.  :p  Her grade in 2nd was about the same grade equivalent as she'd gotten 3 years earlier, so obviously not accurate.  And it did affect her, as it shut her out of the school's gifted program.  But it was "fair" insofar as it was imposed on all the 2nd graders.  :/

Edited June 8, 2016 by SKL

[luuknam]

FWIW, my 3rd grader might have been able to do the math and language arts portions back to back, if I'd alternated them. There are iirc 2 language arts portions and 2 math portions in the most basic version, so he might have been able to do LA 1, Math 1, LA 2, Math 2. He would have seriously struggled doing LA 1 and LA 2 back to back. I doubt the district would alternate them.

 

I gave him the full thing, including all the optional tests, whereas your district is doing the barest bones thing they possibly could, sounds like. I spread it out over 4-5 days (don't remember exactly).

[SparklyUnicorn]

Then it's 2 hours 50 min, not 2.5 hours (not that that improves things).

 

http://www.setontesting.com/pdf/TerraNova.pdf

 

Oh super...it's even worse.  LOL

[SparklyUnicorn]

It sounds as though taking the test is the best thing in your situation. In NJ, there is five days of testing, beginning in 3rd grade.

 

About opting out, if a kid is enrolled in school in NY. My understanding is that a district cannot say that they do not allow opt outs, or as it may be called now, refusals. Some districts are understanding, some are firm, and some are downright malicious. But parents still have the right to refuse to gave their kids participate in high stakes testing.

 

I realize that your testing and high stakes testing and quite different, but I wanted to make the in school options clear.

 

https://dianeravitch.net/2016/04/02/nyc-public-advocate-letitia-james-advises-parents-that-they-have-a-right-to-opt-out-of-the-tests/

 

https://dianeravitch.net/2016/03/25/parents-applaud-election-of-betty-rosa-as-chancellor-of-new-york-board-of-regents/

 

I thought I heard that on the news, but I can't find that.  It seems it has happened in my district.  The opt out rate is one of the lowest I came across.

 

This really is quite different with the homeschooling stuff though.