State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.

com
This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only.
Template revised: 8.8.14
Testing Opt-out/Refusal Guide for: IOWA


Form completed by United Opt Out National Administrator (CS)
and Opt Out Leader for Iowa (NHJ)

Contact information cerestas@yahoo.com (Admin)
iteachem1990@gmail.com (Leader)

List of Assessments

The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Iowa Tests of Educational
Development (ITED) have been replaced by a test called Iowa Assessments.

For the 2014-2015 school year, test will be administered to grades 3-8 and 10 and 11.

Iowa Assessments are administered in levels, as follows:

Level(s): For Grade:
5/6 1
7 1/2
8 2
9 3
10 4
11 5
12 6
13 7
14 8
15 9
16 10
17/18 11/12

In Iowa, students will be tested in ELA and Math that align to the Iowa Core (created
before the Common Core State Standards, but very similar to them), as well as in Social
Studies and Science.
More info here:
https://itp.education.uiowa.edu/ia/documents/Iowa_Form_E_F_Scope_and_Sequence.pdf
State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com
This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only.
Template revised: 8.8.14
The Iowa Assessments measure student achievement in reading, mathematics, science,
written expression, and social studies. Results of the Iowa Assessments support
interpretations of growth and relative standing compared to students in the state and the
nation. The Iowa Percentile Rank (IPR) indicates the level of a students achievement
compared with that of students from Iowa. This metric allows Iowa Testing Programs to
chart educational progress since the 1950s and provides a basis for examining changes in
Iowa student achievement over time. The National Percentile Rank (NPR) indicates the
level of a students achievement compared with that of students in the nation.

IPRs for the Iowa Assessments are based on 2012 and 2013 state data for grades 3 to 11.
Scores for Reading and Mathematics (all grades except 9) and Science (grades 5, 8, and
11) are based on performance of all Iowa students in public and private schools. Scores in
other content areas are based on Iowa students whose schools chose to administer tests in
the content area. It is often the case that the districts that elect to administer the tests in
other content areas tend to perform better. Therefore, IPRs in content areas other than
Reading, Mathematics, and Science in the indicated grades should be interpreted
cautiously.
(For more information:
https://itp.education.uiowa.edu/ia/documents/Interpreting_Iowa_Performance_on_the_Io
wa_Assessments.pdf)

Iowa End-of-Course (IEOC) assessments measure the extent to which students have
met academic standards of high school courses. The IEOC provides diagnostic
information to help students identify strengths and weaknesses in specific content areas
found in the Iowa Core Curriculum. Results help to monitor student progress throughout
the high school career, giving students the opportunity for enrichment or remediation.
Results can be used by teachers to help make instruction more effective. Schools and
districts can help evaluate the performance of students within specific courses. The
IEOCs are being developed to match the courses most frequently offered in math,
science, and social studies. Price: $2.75 per student per administration.

The IARA: Using both the Standards from the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics and the Common Core State Standards as guides, it is intended to help
teachers and counselors make more informed decisions regarding the initial placement of
students in the secondary mathematics curriculum. While the recommendations of current
and former teachers must be given great weight, additional information about
mathematics achievement and foundational knowledge is also important. The IARA
provides this information in an easy-to-administer format so that determinants of algebra
readiness are well informed and timely. Price: $2.75 for each student tested.

Logramos is an achievement battery for grades K-12 developed by Riverside
Publishing Co. to be compatible in content and process with the skills measured by the
Iowa Tests. Thus, performance on Logramos is an indication of the level of student
achievement that we might expect of the student if he/she took the Iowa Tests as a native-
English speaker.

State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com
This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only.
Template revised: 8.8.14
Qualls Early Learning Inventory - This inventory for grades pre-K through 1 uses
teacher ratings of many of the student characteristics that are important for success in the
primary grades. The purpose of this program is to offer an efficient assessment of
primary students' skills and behaviors that can be used to supplement test score
information obtained from the Iowa Assessments achievement battery.

Constructed Response Supplement - This set of materials includes assessment tools
that are 30-minute assessments in Reading, Math, and Language for grades 3-12, each
requiring students to furnish or construct their responses to the questions asked. The
purpose of this program is to offer additional opportunities to assess student achievement
in core curricular areas using a different format than is used in the Iowa
Assessments achievement batteries.

Iowa Writing Assessment - The Iowa Writing Assessment (IWA) is a set of materials
and procedures that permits a school system to conduct its own writing assessment in any
of grades 3-12. The purpose of the program is to assess students' abilities to generate,
organize, and express their ideas in response to specific writing situations.
Info source: https://itp.education.uiowa.edu/ia/default.aspx

Special Considerations for the Above Assessments

Iowa has no assessment requirements for promotion or for high school graduation.

Iowa has already implemented its own form of Common Core State Standards (Iowa
Core) and data collection tools. Source: https://www.educateiowa.gov/iowacore


Governor Branstad and Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck sent a joint
letter to SBAC on July 29, indicating that the state would be withdrawing from the
consortium immediately. The letter reads that the Iowa Assessment Taskforce is studying
the states assessment needs and will release its recommendations by January 1, 2015.
Branstad and Buck continue: To honor the work of the taskforce, Iowa will not sign a
new Memorandum of Understanding with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium
as requested. We recognize that by declining to sign that Iowa will no longer be a
governing state in the consortium. We request that Iowas withdrawal be effective
immediately, and that the consortium no longer list Iowa as a member state.



Procedures for Opt-out/Refusal

1. Submit an opt out letter to the school site administrator, which includes your rights as
the parent or legal guardian of the student (see Get Tough Guide on UOO website).

State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com
This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only.
Template revised: 8.8.14
2. Provide your own written statement that you are aware you are not required to keep
your child home during the testing window.

3. Secure an alternative in school academic assignments/activities for your child during
the testing window.

4. Know the legal requirements for high school graduation, but advocate for alternative
assessments to be used to determine student proficiency in the required subjects such as a
portfolio review for elementary and middle school students, all of which are voluntary
and will provide the parent with the student's actual completed work demonstrating
proficiency.

4. Be adamant in your resolve to exempt your child from testing, which can include any
or all the following:
Seeking legal assistance
Seeking police protection if your child meets with verbal or physical force in an
attempt to have him/her report to a testing area
Organizing and attending regular meetings with opt out support groups or consult
online groups
Contacting any of the United Opt Out administrators for additional support or
information


Urgency for Opt-out/Refusal

Testing in Iowa is very low stakes in comparison to many states. Children are not
retained or prohibited from graduating from high school as a consequence of testing.
However, reform measures are questioned by many educators, students, parents, and tax
paying citizens, as it seems federal policy has taken away state rights and local control of
education. Also, the increase in the amount of assessments along with privacy changes
not passed by the federal congress in FERPA, the laws that protect a students privacy,
raise concerns.


Sample Language to Include in Opt-out/Refusal
Sample Opt Out Letter

To Whom It May Concern:

Please be advised that our child will not be participating in state standardized testing
during the current school year. Furthermore, we ask that no record of this testing be part
of our child's permanent file, as we do not wish our child to participate in standardized
achievement testing for promotion, graduation, or school/state report cards.

We believe the following of forced, high-stakes testing:

State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com
This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only.
Template revised: 8.8.14
Is not scientifically-based and fails to follow the U.S. Government's own data on
learning
Fosters test-driven education that is not meeting the individual/intellectual needs
of students
Presents a racial and economic bias detrimental to English Language Learners,
impoverished students, and students of color
Violates fiscal fairness in funding schools
Supports complicity of corporate interests rather than democracy based on public
concerns
Fosters coercion over cooperation with regards to federal funding for public
education
Promotes a culture of lying, cheating, and exploitation within the school
community
Has used the achievement gap to foster a de facto segregation that has resulted
in separate and unequal education for minorities

We understand that federal law provides the parent or guardian the right of choice
regarding standardized testing when such testing violates beliefs. In contrast to our
beliefs, which are firmly rooted in a moral code that embraces equity and fairness, we
believe such testing is not in the best interests of our child since it fosters competition
instead of cooperation, contributes to separate and unequal education for minorities, and
belies our child's intellectual, creative, and problem-solving abilities, while presenting a
fictitious picture as to the impact of the pedagogy provided by our child's individual
educators.

Ultimately, our state is required to provide our child with an education in a least
restrictive environment that does not force us to go against our core beliefs. My child
should proceed to learn and develop at an individual pace following education standards
that are imparted under the guidance of education professionals, not market-based
reformers, who are able to provide quality pedagogy without fear of reprisal if students -
who mature at vastly different levels and come from diverse backgrounds that may or
may not be supportive of intellectual pursuit - do not hit the bulls' eye of a constantly
moving achievement target.

Therefore, we request that the school provide appropriate learning activities during the
testing window as our child opts out of standardized testing.

Sincerely,


Child's Name ____________________________________________

ID#_________________________


Resources and Organizations

State by state template created by UOO, http://unitedoptout.com
This is not a legal document. It is for informational purposes only.
Template revised: 8.8.14

Noelle Jaddaoui at iteachem1990@gmail.com for opting out information


State Specific Watch-List

Students First Iowa http://www.studentsfirst.org/pages/iowas-plan-for-education-reform

Michelle Rhee
http://www.blogforiowa.com/2013/05/21/michelle-rhee-group-students-first-to-increase-
presence-in-iowa/


Additional or Miscellaneous Information

Smarter Balanced Assessments language was in fact removed from House Bill (HF
215). The conference committee removed the consortium language that would not
limit Iowa to Smarter Balanced Consortia. They are pushing any new assessment off to
the 2016-2017 school year and are creating a task force that will study this issue,
including cost. The task force will have to report their findings to the Director of the
Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa State Board of Education and the Iowa
Legislature by January 1, 2015.