No, Your Kid Won’t Be Retained for Opting Out (2022 and Final (?) Edition)
The big threat is over. No longer do parents have to listen to petty tyrants threaten to retain straight A students if they don’t take STAAR. Mind you, there was never a single instance of an Opt Out kid being retained for not taking STAAR reported to us in ten years. But that didn’t stop the schools from threatening it and the parents from believing it.
But those days are gone. One of the positives of HB 4545 is the elimination of SSI STAAR passage requirements for 5th and 8th grade. Since high school promotion never depended on STAAR, we no longer have to say “it’s a possibility, but never really happens.”
Instead, we can simply say, “the school cannot retain your kid for not passing STAAR.” And even the TEA agrees with us.
Note: It is theoretically possible that a school district could impose a local policy requiring passage as a part of the promotion decision. However, we are unaware of any districts with such a policy in place currently.
to whom it may concern,
I am trying to Opt my child out of STAAR testing and as of today my daughter was threatened with drooping her from her current status as GT/ Honor/ Accelerated. I have seen the TEA web site and even spoken to them as well as the districts STAAR testing department. They both said there is no option to Opt out, although I know another parent that does this every year and she as well had her child changed from class one year but she argued the issue. My daughter called and informed me the principal the principal was threating to drop her down to basic level, than the principal took the phone from her I have an issue with this and fear my daughter will/ is being mistreated as a result from opting out. I need some support and help from someone that can speak their language in enforcing our rights. With all the lack of instruction and from previous test I can foresee she will have lower grades than usual also the stress on her because she knows this as well.
Gifted and Talented is a federally funded program and participation, once identified, is not dependent upon participation in STAAR. I would advise the principal that his threats violate your daughter’s rights under federal law and would place the school’s continued receipt of funding at risk. Ask him to (a) confirm in writing that the school has no intention to take any adverse action regarding your daughter’s inclusion in the GT curriculum and (b) to agree that all future conversations regarding participation in STAAR will be between you and him, and not involve your daughter.
The article reads that high school promotion doesn’t depend on passing the STARR,however can not passing the test prevent a senior from graduating?
Graduation and promotion are two different concepts. We have multiple articles on graduation issues.
if my child did not meet the requirements for both subjects on the starr test, will she be held back in the fourth grade?
Not because of STAAR.