State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com
Testing opt-out/Refusal guide for New Jersey
Form completed by Jean Schutt-McTavish & Susan Schutt
Contact information (email) isola8@gmail.com or sue.schutt@gmail.com
List of Assessments
State
Assessments
PARCC
Subject
Grades
Administration Date
Testing Format
ELA & Math
3 through 8
Computer Based
NJ ASK
Science
4th grade
NJ ASK
Science
8th grade
HSPA
ELA & Math
NJBCT
Biology
AHSA
ELA & Math
January 12th –
February 6th
March 23rd – April 17th
June 15th – June 26th
Paper Test
APA
Alternative
Assessment
for
students
with severe
disabilities
12th – kids
who didn’t
pass last
year
Not a
graduation
requirement
Graduation
Requirement
for students
who failed
HSPA
multiple
times
All grades
March 2nd – 27th
April 27th – Ma 22nd
May 27th May 28th
Make up
May 27th May 28th
Make up
October 7th, 8th, & 9th
March 3rd, 4th & 5th
Make up March 10th,
11th & 12th
May 26th & 27th , Make
up May 28th & 29th
Portfolio
Dynamic
Learning
Maps
Assessment
for
students
with
significant
cognitive
deficits
Collection period 1:
September 2nd –
November 14h
Collection Period 2:
December 8th –
February 13th
Summative
April 6th – May 1st
April 6th – May 1st
All grades
This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only.
Template revised: 7.27.2014
Paper Test
Paper Test
Paper Test
Paper Test
1
State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com
ACCESS
English
Literacy
English
March Testing
Language
Window
Learners
NAEP
ELA & math Selected
January 26th – March
Grades
6th
http://www.state.nj.us/education/assessment/schedule.shtml
Check this link for upcoming test dates.
District Assessments
(Diagnostics and
Benchmarking
iLearn
DIBELS
MAP
Fountas and Pinnell
Learnia
Terra Nova
District or School made
assessments
Paper Test
Grade
Frequent Administration Windows
Pre-K
Early Grades
Middle and
High School
Elementary
and Middle
School
Elementary and
Middle school
Elementary and
Middle School
All Grades
Beginning, Middle, End of Year
Beginning, Middle, End of Year
Beginning, Middle, End of Year
Beginning, Middle, End of Year
Beginning, Middle, End of Year
Beginning, Middle, End of Year
Frequent. These are more likely to be
curriculum based and should tell teachers
and parents how students are actually
doing in school.
Special considerations for the above assessments
The HSPA or AHSA are required for high school graduation of current 12th graders who
did not pass them last year. The New Jersey State Education Department has not yet
announced what, if any, tests will be required for students in the 9th, 10th, or 11th grades.
Check your school district for the specific criteria used for promotion and placement in
special programs such as Gifted programs, honors classes, etc. Standardized test scores,
such as those from the NJ ASK, are often one of a number of measures considered when
placing students in classes. Some districts have penalized students for opting out of the
State assessments.
To our knowledge, there have been no adverse consequences for any family in our state
for refusing/opting out of the District Assessments.
Some districts will be implementing PARCC testing 4 times over the course of the school
year – in these districts, the PARCC could be given as early as September or October.
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Template revised: 7.27.2014
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State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com
Procedures for refusal/opt out
.
What you can expect:
Currently, NJ requires that all students in the above grades must be tested. District
administrators and the NJDOE frequently state that there is no provision for opting out
and that there are no loopholes. Districts must administer the tests, but we maintain
that parents have the right to refuse to have their children tested. School district
administrators interpret NJ’s testing provisions differently from district to district.
Parents have been met with a variety of responses from districts





Forced to stay home for testing period and in some districts the make-up
window
Students made to “sit & stare” – do nothing in the testing room
Read a book in the testing room
Read or do school work in a separate location with supervision
Attend class in a different grade level
The worst district response a parent reported was being threatened with a report to
DFYS for violating the state’s truancy laws. This incident happened in 2012 and no other
case has been reported since. The best way to find out how your district handles
refusal is to ask others in your district who have done it before. You may be able to find
them here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OptOutNewJersey/ or here
https://www.facebook.com/groups/unitedoptout/ or here
https://www.facebook.com/groups/772021379476587/
Refusing High Stakes Tests in 5 Easy Steps:
(This is for informational purposes - this is not legal advice.)
1. Articulate your position for Opting Out/Refusal and find out how your district
plans to use the PARCC scores (e.g., placement in gifted and talented programs, honors
programs, promotion, etc.). If you are committed to your position, proceed to Step 2.
2. Write a letter to your district superintendent. Copy as many people as you
would like. At a minimum, include the principal and classroom teacher. The letter
should state what tests and/or SGOs you are refusing and why you are refusing them.
Last year, we found the refusal code V2, for students refusing the NJ ASK. This year we
do not know if this code will also be used for the PARCC tests. We continue to suggest
that you frame your letter with the language of refusal.
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Template revised: 7.27.2014
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State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com
Urgency for opt-out/refusal
Personal Reasons:
 Test preparation and teaching to the test waste valuable instructional time.
 Multiple choice drills and formulaic writing are not what our children need to be
creative, innovative, successful adults and leaders.
 High stakes assessments put undo pressure on our children to perform for
promotion/graduation
 High stakes tests used in personnel decisions put undo pressure on our children
to perform to protect their teachers and schools.
Community Reasons:
 Federal and NJ policies are designed to take away local control of education
decisions including use of tax dollars and curriculum content
 NJ’s NCLB waiver is an unfunded mandate that will require districts to
significantly increase expenditures on technology for the sake of testing as
opposed to authentic learning
 Lack of community input into decisions regarding curriculum and instruction
undermines both our communities and our democracy
3. Wait for a response. Each district responds to refusal in it’s own way. You may
have to engage in a negotiation with your district to get the outcome that best suits
your family. In your discussions with your district it might be helpful to quote the
experience of Montclair, despite the fact that the State Department of Education has
backed away from it’s initial advice.
In Montclair, NJ the Superintendent wrote a letter to the Principals in the district in
which she quoted Timothy Steele-Dadzie, NJASK 6-8 Test Coordinator at the State
Department of Education. The following was taken from a memo to principals from the
district:
If the Principal is notified before or on the day of NJASK Testing by a parent via
email. formal letter, phone call and/or face to face conversation that his/her
child will not be participating in the NJASK testing, this is considered a
premeditated "Parent Refusal" and the following actions should be taken:
1. On the day of testing, confirm with student if they will/will not be
participating in testing. If not, alternate plans for students should be
made such as independent reading, schoolwork in a non- testing room
with teacher/ substitute. These arrangements are to be building-based
and should be planned for prior to testing dates.
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Template revised: 7.27.2014
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State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com
2. For each of these students, complete an irregularity report, Appendix F
of the Test Coordinator Manual. Irregularity type #13 should be noted
and indicate “parental refusal” in the additional information
section. Submit the irregularity report, along with student answer
folder, in the purple Irregularity Envelope when returning materials.
If a student refuses to test on the day of or during testing for reasons such as
test anxiety or disruptive behavior, this is considered a “spontaneous refusal”
and the following actions should be taken:
1. If this should happen, remove student from testing room.
2. Complete an irregularity report, Appendix F of the Test Coordinator
Manual. Irregularity type #10 should be noted and a Void 2 should be
gridded on the student answer folder for that section. Submit the
irregularity report, along with student answer folder, in the purple
Irregularity Envelope when returning materials.
4. Clarify the terms of your child’s day during testing.
a. Ask what the procedure will be for your child on the day of testing.
b. Practice how students will refuse the test - "No thank you, I am not taking the test"
c. Confirm with the school that your child is not testing at testing time
5. Repeat the process next year. More parents will join us and we will end this
CCSS, TEACHNJ, and PARCC madness.
**Please remember that there are many ways to resist the CCSS, NJASK and PARCC, and
TEACHNJ. If opting out isn’t right for your family, there are many other ways to push
back. Opting out may be the strongest statement you can make as a parent, but if it is
not right for your family, you should not do it. We still need your help in many other
ways.
Sample language to include in opt-out/refusal
Below are links to examples of opt out letters we have used in NJ and in other states.
We have a group on Facebook (see link below). Send us a request if you would like to
join our conversation even if you aren’t sure you want to opt out.
Sample Letters
Superintendent
Anywhere Public Schools
123 Easy Street
Anytown, NJ 01234
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Template revised: 7.27.2014
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State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com
Date
Dear ____________________
We are writing today to formally inform the district of our decision to refuse to allow our
daughter/son _________________in the NJ ASK and all standardized assessments imposed on
her/his for remainder of the 2013-2014 school year. The NJ ASK should be coded a V2 and not a
0. Our refusal should in no way reflect on the teachers, administration, or school board. We
simply see these tests as harmful, expensive, and a waste of time and valuable resources.
Our child will not participate in any assessments other than those solely for the use of the
individual classroom teacher. We refuse to allow any data to be used for purposes other than the
individual teacher’s own formative or cumulative assessment. Any assessment whose data is used
to determine school ranking, teacher effectiveness, state or federal longitudinal studies or any
other purpose other than for the individual classroom teacher’s own use to improve her
instruction will not be presented to ________________. To be clear, our daughter/son will not
participate in the following:
● Any state assessment
● Any so-called “benchmark” exams whether they are teacher-designed or not, since
these exams are imposed by entities other than the individual teacher.
● Pre–assessments connected to “Student Learning Objectives”.
● Any surveys, or “field tests” given by corporate or government entities or testing
companies.
● Any progress- monitoring or RTI assessments such as Aimsweb
● Any exam used to formulate an evaluation or score for our daughter’s teachers or their
school.
We believe in and trust our highly qualified and dedicated teachers and administrators.
We believe in the high quality of teaching and learning that occur in our child’s school. We hope
our efforts will be understood in the context in which they are intended: to support the quality of
instruction promoted by the school, and to advocate for what is best for our child and more
broadly, all children.
Sincerely,
Concerned Parents
cc:
Principal
Classroom Teacher
BOE
Resources and organizations
Choose to Refuse NJ
Save Our Schools NJ
Education Law Center
The Abbot Leadership Institute
Our Children Our Schools NJ
This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only.
Template revised: 7.27.2014
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State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com
Parents Advocating for Children's Education (PACE)
PULSE (Parents United for Local School Education
New Jersey Teachers Activist Group
Our Village Our Schools
Save Our Schools March New Jersey
Parents Across America
State specific watch-list
Council of Chief State School Officers
Achieve
Foundation For Newark's Future/Mark Zuckerberg's grant $
Students First (partners with B4K)
NJ CAN (State Affiliate of 50CAN)
Broad Foundation (Eli Broad)
New School Venture Fund
National Charter School Association
National Council on Teacher Quality
Black Alliance for Education Options
Democrats for Education Reform
American Federation for Children
ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council; see ALEC Exposed)
K-12 Inc.
Pearson
Chiefs for Change (Cerf is founding member)
New Leaders for New Schools
Teach For America
Additional or miscellaneous information
This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only.
Template revised: 7.27.2014
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State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com
OPT OUT in New Jersey – a legal right as stated by Will Richardson. Read here –
http://willrichardson.com/post/21226188628/opting-out
Opting Out of NJ ASK
Educator and Parent OPTS out in NJ
Education Code on NJ
See subchapter four on page
32http://www.nj.gov/education/code/current/title6a/chap8.pdf
http://www.state.nj.us/education/code/current/title6a/chap8.pdf
This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only.
Template revised: 7.27.2014
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