Valerie Strauss is attempting to challenge schools who are offering incentives to students who participate in and take standardized tests. Writing this article at the height of standardized testing last spring, Strauss states that “as school districts around the country get ready to launch into their annual spring testing season, [incentivizing of testing] is happening again.” (Strauss)
One main idea is that schools are using incentives to encourage students to take the standardized tests. Strauss cites Colorado and New York as major culprits, giving examples of elaborate rallies schools host in order to boost exam attendance and participation. Strauss also stresses the laws behind standardized testing, which states that parents are able to excuse their students at any point in state-mandated testing, and the student will not face any negative consequences. Giving examples of Jewell Elementary School, Strauss shares how administrators at Jewell hosted a party and raffle that only kids who participated in the tests were allowed to take place in.
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In doing research, I discovered the law Strauss was referring to was a part of the ESSA, in which it gives parents the right to opt their children out of exams, if the state allows it, according to FairTest. This is important because it gives the individual states the rights to decide if they want to mandate testing. This will negatively affect schools who might perform well on the tests, but only have a portion of the students participating in tests, as schools who have less than 95% participation, will receive zeroes on the students who don’t participate