Ohio’s superintendent says the state won’t withhold funding to penalize schools for students opting out of standardized tests this year.
A growing number of parents are letting kids skip mandated exams amid complaints that new testing linked to the Common Core standards is too time-consuming and that the preparation distracts from deeper learning.
By law, the Ohio Department of Education is supposed to withhold funding for students who don’t take the tests, but the superintendent also is allowed to make a waiver so schools can get the money. In a Tuesday letter to districts, Superintendent Richard Ross indicated that is what he’ll do.
The state doesn’t yet have a tally of how many students are skipping tests. In some districts, hundreds have opted out.