State, federal statements on opt-out consequences

On Board Online • April 27, 2015

"It is the responsibility of states to ensure that all students are assessed annually because it gives educators and parents an idea of how the student is doing and ensures that schools are paying attention to traditionally underserved populations like low-income students, students of color, students with disabilities and English language learners. The New York State Education Department takes this responsibility very seriously, and we continue to look to them to take the appropriate steps on behalf of kids in the state."

- Dorie Nolt, Press Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

"The U.S. Department of Education has made clear that when a district fails to ensure that students participate in required state assessments, the state education agency is expected to consider imposing sanctions on that district, including -- in the most egregious cases - withholding programmatic funds. What sanctions to impose must be decided on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the degree and length of time the district has failed to meet participation rate requirements and the reasons for such failure. However, the real impact of opting out is that we lose the chance - at both the state and the local level - to learn about the progress of our students and their schools. That loss is immediate and it is permanent."

- New York State Education Department