Opt Out of City Assessments

As of fall 2021, the New York City Department of Education will subject students to extra academic and social-emotional standardized tests, in addition to tests already mandated by the state and federal government (spring math & ELA tests, Regents, NYSESLAT, etc). For a number of reasons, not least of which is concern that our students’ instructional time is increasingly being lost to standardized testing, NYC Opt Out urges you to consider refusing these additional tests, called “screeners” by NYCDOE.

The city’s tests/”screeners” fall into 2 categories:

  • ACADEMIC

    • Given to all students, kindergarten-10th grade

    • Schools chose from a menu of tests: MAP, Acadience, iReady

    • MAP and iReady must be taken on a computer; Acadience is administered in 1:1 teacher/student pairs

    • NYCDOE is spending $36 million for these tests, a questionable use of our tax dollars

    • Ready to refuse MAP/Acadience/iReady? We suggest emailing your child’s teacher (to create a paper trail) and cc’ing the principal and/or assistant principal. Sample opt out letter HERE. 

    • Please note: We have heard of families getting pushback on efforts to refuse these tests. Some are being told that they “cannot opt out.” On the other hand, we know families at some schools have had their refusals accepted without question. Our stance is that anyone can opt out; it’s an act of civil disobedience and not something you must ask permission to do. Often it is easier to take this principled stance if you organize other families in your school to do the same. Follow NYC Opt Out on Facebook or Twitter or email us at nycoptout@gmail.com if you would like to join with other parents around the city concerned about these new tests.


 

  • SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL

    • Given to all students, kindergarten-12th grade

    • The screener is a multi-question survey, which a staff member fills out about the student

    • There are 2 versions of the questionnaire, known as DESSA, one for K-8 and another for 9-12

    • NYCDOE is spending $18.7 million for these tests, a questionable use of our tax dollars

    • Ready to refuse DESSA? Even the Department of Education is communicating that parents have a choice about whether their children have to be assessed by DESSA. Check with your school to see if they have a preferred way for you to opt out. If not, we suggest emailing your child’s teacher (to create a paper trail) and cc’ing the principal and/or parent coordinator. Sample opt out letter HERE. 

Follow NYC Opt Out on Facebook or Twitter or email us at nycoptout@gmail.com if you would like to join with other parents around the city concerned about the adoption of DESSA.