Opt-out Bill Would Ensure Right to Skip Standardized Testing
Seven other states have statutes allowing parents to opt out of their standardized testing (Chad McDermott/iStockphoto.com)
Parents and educators alike have been questioning the increasing number of standardized tests now required in public schools.
A measure filed by State Representative Will Guzzardi would give moms and dads a way to allow their kid to skip these exams.
Guzzardi says “Seven other states have statutes allowing parents to opt out of their standardized testing. Those states haven’t seen any diminishment of their federal funding or anything like that, as some of the doom-and-gloom folks suggest might happen.”
The Chicago Democrat says under Illinois School Code, kids already have the right to opt out.
His bill would give parents a tool to request that their child not be tested.
It would also ensure that the teacher, school and student not be penalized for refusing to take a standardized test.