School board member opts out kids from testing

School board member Don Armstrong announced at the board meeting Tuesday night that he plans for his children to "opt out" from testing in the upcoming school year.

Armstrong said he is exercising his parental right to "opt out" his fourth-grade son and daughter from the exams because he sees the "high-stakes" testing environmental as unethical and detrimental. He said he hopes that all parents will learn about their rights to opt out.

In the past, schools were sanctioned with fees if more than five percent of the student body opted out of testing. This year, however, there will be no sanctions as it will be the first year of testing with the new Florida Standards, Superintendent Nancy Graham said.

Graham said she respects each parent's choice to do what is best for their children

"I really never worry about testing," she said. "I understand the frustration because there's a lot of it."

The district has made efforts to reduce testing for kindergarten through fifth grades, but testing is still paramount in the high schools, Graham said. Elective programs like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate come with "a boatload" of additional tests on top of state and district testing, she added.