Florida House Educational Committee Say Regarding Testing: No Opting Out! But should there be?

“So if you want to have your child learn another way or do something different, you always have the option to take them (out). School boards should not be … saying, ‘Well, okay’. There is NO okay!” ~ Florida Rep. Marlene O’Toole’s (R), Chairwoman, House Educational Committee

If parents, teachers, principals, superintendents or school boards ever questioned if Florida Law permitted parents to “opt out” their child from taking high-stakes standardized tests they got a extremely clear answer today during this morning’s Florida House Education Committee meeting. But should there be?

In the video below you will see Florida Rep. Reggie Fullwood, the committee’s ranking Democrat ask Florida Educational Commissioner Pam Stewart if opting out is an option for parents and if School Boards can and/or are giving that option to parents.

Commissioner Stewart shared two important points regarding opting out. The first that state law does not permit any opting out other than for very specific Exceptional Student Education (ESE). Commissioner Stewart also said that she felt that Legislators should be concerned, “that there would be individuals out there, that want to choose to not follow the law, because it is law that every student” (must be tested), Stewart went on to say, “it isn’t in law that it is student that wish to”. Commissioner Stewart, said she was not aware of any School Boards (Districts) they were permitting ‘opting out’.

This is when Chairwoman O’Toole’s stated, “You’re not allowed to do that (opt out) and keep your child in a public school“. O’Toole went on to say, “So if you want to have your child learn another way or do something different, you always have the option to take them out” (of public school). She then stated, “School boards should not be … saying, ‘Well, okay’. There is no okay.”

Then Chairwoman O’Toole confirmed with Commissioner Stewart that if asked if parents of children in Florida public schools “can you ‘opt out’”, Chairwoman O’Toole said, “then I am free to say, that is the law, public school, we must have a test, (unless there is some physical reason why not), that ‘opting out’ is not an option.” O’Toole then turned to the rest of the Educational Committee and asked, “Is that correct, everyone agree with that? Does anyone have a difference of opinion? Because that is what we have to say as a group I believe as we speak to people”. O’Toole then explained, “There are other schools”, (meaning non-public schools), she continued, “that would probably allow some other method, but that’s the last I heard.” Disappointingly no Florida House Educational Committee member responded differently.

What Rep. O’Toole essentially did today was get the entire Florida House Educational Committee to agree (by not objecting) that Florida does NOT permit parents or School Boards options for ‘opting out’ of any state mandated testing. Therefore it appears that the Florida House Educational Committee just affirmed that as a State Educational Committee they fully support state mandated high-stakes tests and that they have no intention to change laws not requiring high-stakes testing of our students. Now the important question— Why?

I would agree that Florida State laws have no ‘opt-out’ options for parents, but that is because these same Legislators are the State educational law makers that made it law to have these tests. Today it sounded like they were saying they have no options— they are the law makers that created and passed these very laws that do not permit ‘opting out’! It concerns me that we are being told by one of our state educational committees, “So if you want to have your child learn another way… take them out (of public school)”.

Parents would not be interested in opting their child out of these tests if these tests were being used for diagnostic purposes, and for improving student learning. Instead these tests are by law used punitively against our students, teachers and schools. These committees aren’t listening to public educators, and today seems to indicate they aren’t listening to parents either. If anyone knows who they are listening to, then we need to contact them and ask them to start advocating for our kids.

It is time for Florida to have in law “portfolio” and other assessment options for students at all school levels like we have for 3^rd graders.

To watch video click the play button below or follow this link to video; https://youtu.be/VB7wtKm7EcM

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