Public School Students No Longer Required To Take Tests

Oh boy, I would have loved this when I was a kid! NO TESTS!!!

Parents can refuse standardized exams for their children by sending a letter to the school principal stating their desire to opt out. This action is supported by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which recognizes parents' rights to refuse testing in states with opt-out laws. It doesn't come as a surprise to me that one of the most messed-up states, California, doesn't require its children to take tests.

Opting Out of State Standardized Tests

Citizens For Public Schools | March 24, 2025

What is “opting out”?
It means refusing to take a standardized test such as MCAS.

Why should I opt my student out?
To protect your child: For many students, the Big Test can be very stressful.

To improve education for all students: Opting out is an effective way to protest the overuse and misuse of standardized tests, which forces schools to focus on the demands of the tests instead of the needs of students. Test obsession eats up classroom time, narrows curriculum, destroys children’s love of learning, and fuels the school-to-prison pipeline. READ MORE

I admit that as a parent myself who raised four children (all in their thirties now), I am biased in favor of this test opt-out movement actually. The educational system is broken!

It has always bothered me a lot that a child will go to school all day, and then be sent home piled up with a bunch of homework that eats up his or her play time to be a kid. That is not good! I mean, if a teacher cannot transfer knowledge from their brain to the child's brain in 6 to 8 hours a day in the classroom, something is VERY WRONG!  I think our failing educational system in America focuses far too much on testing and pressure kids to perform, than it does actually teaching and inspiring the kids to love learning.

In my humble opinion as a parent, the vast majority of public school teachers are incompetent and never should have been hired in the first place.

Furthermore, if you are not familiar with Miss Charlotte Thompson Iserbyt's (1930-2022) insightful book, 'The Deliberate Dumbing Down Of America,' you need to read it. Prepare to be SHOCKED! It's no coincidence that kids cannot pass tests anymore. Children are brilliant and can learn astoundingly well in the presence of a teacher who knows how to inspire and teach.