Assessment Parental Exclusion Procedure
Assessments of Student Achievement – Parental Exclusion from State Assessments
Cache County School District strongly encourages parents/guardians to have their children participate in statewide testing; however, the District recognizes that parents/guardians have a right to exclude their children from participating in all of the assessments listed on the USBE parental exclusion form.
Parental Exclusion Form
- If a parent/guardian elects to exclude their child from participating in statewide assessment, the parents/guardians must complete the appropriate Parental Exclusion Form and return it to the principal of their child’s school at least one (1) day prior to the beginning of testing for that particular assessment.
- A parent/guardian may use either the USBE or CCSD version of the Parental Exclusion Form as long as it is for the current academic year.
- The school will maintain a record of the Parental Exclusion Form throughout the school year.
- A parent/guardian must fill out a new Parental Exclusion Form each year.
- Upon receipt of the Parental Exclusion Form, the principal will only forward relevant information contained on the form to the child’s teacher and other appropriate personnel.
Alternate Activity
- Students not participating in statewide testing, but who are in school while testing is taking place, should:
- be engaged in a meaningful educational activity, such as completing additional coursework or taking an alternative test;
- not be singled out in a negative way, and
- not be administratively punished in any way.
Impact/Penalty
- No academic penalty shall be imposed on a student because of non-participation in statewide assessment due to parental exclusion.
- As no school or employee may provide a nonacademic reward to a student for participating in statewide assessment, students whose parents/guardians have exempted them from participating in such assessments will not be excluded from receiving incentives or rewards associated with taking the test.
- Students excluded by parents/guardians from participation in statewide assessments will be reported to USBE as non-participants on reports for some accountability measures that may negatively impact the students’ school.
- Teacher evaluations will not be negatively impacted by students excused from taking statewide assessments.
- Schools/Teachers may require a student who has been excluded from participation in statewide assessments to take an end of level/course assessment in lieu of the statewide assessment as a measure of summative learning/achievement. The results of that assessment shall not negatively impact a student’s grade unless the assessment is also given to students that take the statewide assessment and the results are applied to those students’ grades the same way.
Demonstration of Competency/Grade Improvement
- If a teacher or school determines to use the results of a statewide assessment to improve a student’s academic grade within a relevant course, the school or teacher must also provide an alternate assessment to a student whose parent/guardian has exempted them from the statewide assessment with an option to use the results to improve that student’s grade in a similar way.
- If a teacher or school determines to use the results of a statewide assessment to demonstrate competency within a relevant course, the school or teacher must also provide an alternate assessment to a student whose parent/guardian has exempted them from the statewide assessment as an opportunity to demonstrate competency.
Civics Test
If a parent/guardian exempts their students from the basic civics test, the student is not exempted from the graduation requirement related to passing the test.
Legal References:
Utah Code 53E-4-3: Assessments
Utah Code 53G-6-803: Parental right to academic accommodations.
Utah Code 53G-10-205: Waivers of Participation
USBE R277-404: Requirements for Assessment of Student Achievement
USBE Policy: Standard Test Administration and Testing Ethics Policy
Approved by the District Administration: September 19, 2024