Alyssa McKinney returned to Whitesburg Middle School in Huntsville, Alabama, two days later and was expected to participate on the third day of standardized testing. However, she opted out again. This time, the school dished out an out-of-school suspension, WAAY-TV reports.
Melissa Valdes-Hubert, public information manager for the Alabama Department of Education, said in an email that the tests the student refused “was a locally chosen formative assessment, not a state standardized test,” the Washington Times reports. Other reports have identified the tests as being aligned with Common Core.
“Local assessments have been given for many years and are part of the instructional program. Attempts to connect these assessments to something else, like Common Core, is a misrepresentation,” she added.
The incident is sparking controversy as students are apparently allowed to opt out of the testing if a parent provides their refusal in writing to school administrators. It’s unclear from reports whether McKinney’s mother did so or if the student acted alone because she disagreed with the testing.
Other students have been punished over their refusal to take part in Common Core standardized testing.
As FoxNews.com reports, a 13-year-old student at Orange-Ulster BOCES in New York was suspended recently for “insubordination” after she told her peers that they could opt out of the Common Core English test.
Another school in Arkport, New York, reportedly offered ice cream to young children who took the Common Core English test, while withholding the treat from students who opted out.
The Washington Times provides a very basic explanation of Common Core:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/05/06/teen-slapped-with-multiple-suspensions-after-taking-a-stand-against-standardized-testing/
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