How to Opt Out of the PSSA and Keystone Exams
Section
4.4 of Title 22, Chapter 4 provides for the rights of any parent or guardian to
excuse his or her child from the state assessment if, upon inspection of the
testing materials, they find the assessment to be in conflict with their
religious beliefs. This is the only basis for a parent or guardian to excuse
his or her child from the statewide assessments. It is important to note that no religious affiliation or discussion is required to be shared with the school district, simply state that you are opting out "because of religious beliefs".
STEP 1: Parent must request in writing to the building principal to review exam within two weeks of exam.
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear Superintendent:
Pursuant to Pennsylvania Code
Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(5) I am hereby exercising my right as a
parent to have my child, [ NAME ], excused from PSSA/Keystone testing because of
religious and philosophical beliefs.
Sincerely,
Two weeks prior to the testing window,
exams must be made available for review by parents and guardians. Districts must
provide a convenient time for the review. Parents and guardians will need sign the Parent Confidentiality Agreement that simply states they will not share what is on the test with anyone.
STEP 2: Parent reviews test at school.
STEP 3: Parent provides written request
to be excused from test to the Superintendent. Can be worded same as first letter, stating that that you reviewed the exam.
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear Superintendent:
On [ DATE ] I had the opportunity to review the PSSA/Keystone Exam and pursuant to Pennsylvania Code Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(5) I am hereby exercising my right as a parent to have my child, [ NAME ], excused from PSSA/Keystone testing because of religious and philosophical beliefs.
Sincerely,
STEP 4: Superintendent reviews the request - this request cannot be denied.
If the student is excused from the
state assessment due to parental or guardian request, school personnel must
provide an alternative learning environment for the student during the
assessment and complete the “Non-Assessed Students” grid by selecting “Student
had a parental request for exclusion from the assessment.”
OTHER:
Although there is no
other apparent reason for student non-participation in the exam, this category
is provided for the rare exception. The most notable rare exception is student
refusal to participate at the time of testing. Refusal represents a defiant act
on the student’s part despite school personnel’s every effort to obtain compliance.
If you have exhausted all options and believe you have a case that fits into
the “Other” category, complete the “Non-Assessed Students” section by marking
“Other.”
§ 4.4. General policies.
Section 4.4 of Title 22, Chapter 4 provides for the rights of any parent or guardian to excuse his or her child from the state assessment if, upon inspection of the testing materials, they find the assessment to be in conflict with their religious beliefs. This is the only basis for a parent or guardian to excuse his or her child from the statewide assessments. It is important to note that no religious affiliation or discussion is required to be shared with the school district, simply state that you are opting out "because of religious beliefs".
STEP 1: Parent must request in writing to the building principal to review exam within two weeks of exam.
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear Superintendent:
Pursuant to Pennsylvania Code Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(5) I am hereby exercising my right as a parent to have my child, [ NAME ], excused from PSSA/Keystone testing because of religious and philosophical beliefs.
Sincerely,
Pursuant to Pennsylvania Code Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(5) I am hereby exercising my right as a parent to have my child, [ NAME ], excused from PSSA/Keystone testing because of religious and philosophical beliefs.
Sincerely,
Two weeks prior to the testing window,
exams must be made available for review by parents and guardians. Districts must
provide a convenient time for the review. Parents and guardians will need sign the Parent Confidentiality Agreement that simply states they will not share what is on the test with anyone.
STEP 2: Parent reviews test at school.
STEP 3: Parent provides written request
to be excused from test to the Superintendent. Can be worded same as first letter, stating that that you reviewed the exam.
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear Superintendent:
On [ DATE ] I had the opportunity to review the PSSA/Keystone Exam and pursuant to Pennsylvania Code Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(5) I am hereby exercising my right as a parent to have my child, [ NAME ], excused from PSSA/Keystone testing because of religious and philosophical beliefs.
Sincerely,
On [ DATE ] I had the opportunity to review the PSSA/Keystone Exam and pursuant to Pennsylvania Code Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(5) I am hereby exercising my right as a parent to have my child, [ NAME ], excused from PSSA/Keystone testing because of religious and philosophical beliefs.
Sincerely,
STEP 4: Superintendent reviews the request - this request cannot be denied.
If the student is excused from the state assessment due to parental or guardian request, school personnel must provide an alternative learning environment for the student during the assessment and complete the “Non-Assessed Students” grid by selecting “Student had a parental request for exclusion from the assessment.”
If the student is excused from the state assessment due to parental or guardian request, school personnel must provide an alternative learning environment for the student during the assessment and complete the “Non-Assessed Students” grid by selecting “Student had a parental request for exclusion from the assessment.”
OTHER:
Although there is no
other apparent reason for student non-participation in the exam, this category
is provided for the rare exception. The most notable rare exception is student
refusal to participate at the time of testing. Refusal represents a defiant act
on the student’s part despite school personnel’s every effort to obtain compliance.
If you have exhausted all options and believe you have a case that fits into
the “Other” category, complete the “Non-Assessed Students” section by marking
“Other.”
http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/022/chapter4/s4.4.html
(4) The right of the parent or guardian to review the State assessments in the school entity, at least 2 weeks prior to their administration, during convenient hours for parents and guardians. Necessary security requirements to maintain the validity of the assessment shall be taken in accordance with the State assessment administration instructions.
(5) If upon inspection of State assessments parents or guardians find the assessment in conflict with their religious belief and wish their students to be excused from the assessment, the right of the parents or guardians will not be denied upon written request to the applicable school district superintendent, charter school chief executive officer or AVTS director.
Chapter 4. Academic Standards and Assessments
Found at this link:
http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/022/chapter4/chap4toc.html
This is the letter I wrote:
We are writing today to formally inform the district of our decision to refuse to allow our daughter to participate in state standardized assessments for the 2013-2014 school year. Pursuant to Pennsylvania Code Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(5) I am hereby exercising my right as a parent to have my child, [NAME], excused from PSSA/Keystone testing because of religious and philosophical beliefs.
In no way is our decision to opt out of these high stakes tests a reflection of our perception of [SCHOOL DISTRICT] or the teachers. We are satisfied with the quality of education our daughter has received. Our disappointment in this matter is with the current school reforms in the form of the Common Core Standards and the increase in high stakes standardized testing. These state and national policies put forth by politicians and corporations have corrupted the process of education in our schools.
High stakes standardized tests do nothing to improve creative thinking, meaningful learning, and dynamic teaching. This national and statewide emphasis on standardized testing is a waste classroom time and taxpayer's money that could otherwise be spent on valuable educational opportunities.
The latest trend is to link these standardized test scores to the rating system for their teachers. Using the state standardized test scores as a percentage of an educator's effectiveness rating is unfair to everyone involved. There are too many factors that influence a student's ability to answer the test questions correctly, and it is in no way an effective tool for determining how effective a teacher is.
It is our hope that sometime in the near future our students can be rescued from these ill conceived test-driven educational policies, and our schools and teachers will be free to teach children as they always have: with a heartfelt desire to see young children grow and develop intellectually to the best of their abilities.
This is the letter I wrote:
We are writing today to formally inform the district of our decision to refuse to allow our daughter to participate in state standardized assessments for the 2013-2014 school year. Pursuant to Pennsylvania Code Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(5) I am hereby exercising my right as a parent to have my child, [NAME], excused from PSSA/Keystone testing because of religious and philosophical beliefs.
In no way is our decision to opt out of these high stakes tests a reflection of our perception of [SCHOOL DISTRICT] or the teachers. We are satisfied with the quality of education our daughter has received. Our disappointment in this matter is with the current school reforms in the form of the Common Core Standards and the increase in high stakes standardized testing. These state and national policies put forth by politicians and corporations have corrupted the process of education in our schools.
High stakes standardized tests do nothing to improve creative thinking, meaningful learning, and dynamic teaching. This national and statewide emphasis on standardized testing is a waste classroom time and taxpayer's money that could otherwise be spent on valuable educational opportunities.
The latest trend is to link these standardized test scores to the rating system for their teachers. Using the state standardized test scores as a percentage of an educator's effectiveness rating is unfair to everyone involved. There are too many factors that influence a student's ability to answer the test questions correctly, and it is in no way an effective tool for determining how effective a teacher is.
It is our hope that sometime in the near future our students can be rescued from these ill conceived test-driven educational policies, and our schools and teachers will be free to teach children as they always have: with a heartfelt desire to see young children grow and develop intellectually to the best of their abilities.
