Thanks to Sherry Neeley who has put together this seven step action plan if you get a notice of summer school. TPERN notes are in italics. 1) Send the summer school letter This should be your first response whenever the school tells you unilaterally that your 5th or 8th grader has to go to summer […]
Instant Replay – 2017 Opt Out Webinar
This webinar was held in May 2017 between the first and second administrations of the STAAR assessment. Participants include Scott Placek, Edy Chamness, Ben and Sarah Becker, Caite Brooks and Sherry Neeley. Presented by www.txedrights.net – Texas Parents’ Educational Rights Network
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This is a post I hate to write, but it is sadly necessary. A number of parents choose to opt out by having their kids refuse the assessment. This is completely fine. Choose the best route for you. A growing number of schools have chosen to work with parents to enable the refusal to take […]
The “Required” Summer School Notice
As the first results of the STAAR assessment come in and the days left in the school year slip away, more and more parentsof kids who failed or did not take the first assessment are receiving notices that their kids are “required” to go to summer school. Round Rock ISD is even sending notices that […]
Texas Children Deserve Better
by Jennifer Rumsey March 24, 2016 special to txedrights.net It’s that time again. Time for STAAR testing in Texas. STAAR is the legislatively mandated series of high-stakes tests for public school children in Texas, and it is the most recent and most difficult of several testing program iterations that began in the 1980’s. I have been […]
Houston ISD acknowledges 26.010 Opt Out Rights
Fox 26 reporter Andrea Watkins has made real headway in getting school districts on the record about a parent’s right to Opt Out. In her initial report, Katy ISD Director of Assessment, Alison Matney (who has made inaccurate posts on this website) acknowledged that while there is no process to opt out, parents can just […]
Houston ISD Continues to Mislead Parents
Activist parents in Houston ISD rightly celebrated when the HISD Board of Trustees became the first district (to our knowledge) to write Opt Out procedures into their board policies. Further, the parents succeeded in convincing the board to suspend, at least for this year, the HISD specific policy which made STAAR passage a promotion standard […]
Premier TX School Law Firm: Parents Can Opt Out (and Schools Can Excuse the Absence)
For readers of TPERN articles, you will recognize the name Walsh, Anderson. Walsh, Anderson (now known as Walsh Gallego) is one of the largest (and arguably the most prestigious) education law firms in Texas. They represent school districts across the state through multiple offices, speak at almost every school conference, and regularly provide guidance to […]
Why I’m Not Going To Hold Your Hand This Year
With the recent TEA announcement that the passing standard for STAAR will rise this year, interest in the Opt Out movement has started even earlier than usual. Parents around the state have found their kids have been pulled from electives and forcibly enrolled in test prep class periods. School board meetings have been called to […]
TPERN Responds to Houston ISD Warning Letter
The Houston Chronicle recently published an article noting that Houston ISD had sent a warning letter to parents who opted out of STAAR assessment. The letter was full of legal and factual errors, but was also notable for its blatant declaration that mandatory summer school awaits all kids who have opted out of STAAR. This […]