Seattle Schools and Opting Out
I'll have to ask SPS just what happens if a student opts out of a school-wide test. But here is what is happening in other parts of the country (and it's just wrong). From the Washington Post's The Answer Sheet , the policy of "sit and stare." Districts and schools are allowing students to opt out but only if they sit still for the entire duration of the test. No reading, no homework, no headphones. I'm surprised they don't make them just sit in a corner and face the wall. “Sit and stare” policies are being considered or adopted in schools from New York to California as a reaction to the growing “opt out” movement in which parents have decided that they do not want their children to have to take high-stakes standardized tests. Each state has its own policy about opting out, but they don’t generally provide districts with guidance about how to enforce it, so administrators come up with their own policies. As the number of parents opting out...