ORLANDO, Fla. — Several parents across Central Florida said their children are at risk of being held back because they opted out of a state exam.
Gabrielle Weaver said Wekiva Elementary School contacted her last week to say her third-grade daughter Camryn may be retained after not completing the English Language Arts reading test.
"She does well in school. She reads at an eighth-grade level so there's no point in holding her back," Weaver said.
Several parents reached out to Channel 9 with a similar story.
Florida law requires third-grade students to receive a score of 2 or higher on the exam to enter fourth grade. The statute allows students to take an alternate test or have a portfolio of their work reviewed. Weaver said she stopped the portfolio process because it was actually another series of tests, not her daughter's work.
"They should be learning, not learning how to take a test," Weaver said.
This is the latest battle between parents and the education system over state testing. Many parents who opt out are fed up with testing and believe a student's report card should be sufficient to pass.
Channel 9 contacted school leaders in both Orange and Seminole counties; both said they are simply following the law.
"It's not our decision," said Orange County Superintendent Dr. Barbara Jenkins.
Numbers from the Florida Department of Education show 221,427 students took the English Language Arts exam this spring; 224 students didn't provide enough answers to get a score. The state doesn't track how many students opted out.
"We have very few, who are still at this point, without documentation for them to move onto fourth grade," Jenkins said.
Jenkins said there are four or five students in Orange County who have lingering issues.
A spokesman for Seminole County schools said he couldn't comment on Weaver's case but said fewer than four students are in a similar situation.
"She has zero reading problems," Weaver said. "All of her report cards are A and B's."
Some parents told Channel 9 they are now considering legal action or pulling their children from school.
On Wednesday, the state Education Department said individual districts make the final decision if students are held back.
Seminole County said there is still time for students to compile a portfolio.
Cox Media Group
