In the decades since the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, much of the rhetoric around K-12 school performance and student academic achievement is centered around the percentage of students labeled as meeting or exceeding standards on state standardized tests. This percentage is often misinterpreted as the percentage of children scoring at or above grade level.

Frequently Asked Questions for grades K-8

What is state testing in Illinois for Grades 3–8?

State testing in Illinois for Grades 3–8 consists of a series of tests. Nearly all students in Grades 3–8 take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), which tests students in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Students in Grades 5 and 8 also take a science test (ISA). Students with severe learning disabilities take a different test, called the DLM-AA. Students who are English Language Learners also take a test called ACCESS, which tests their proficiency with the English language.

How can my child opt out of taking the state tests in 2023?

In Illinois, a parent can inform the school that a child will not be participating in state testing but, according to the IL State Board of Education guidance, children must refuse the test themselves. We recommend that the parent submit a letter to the school indicating that the child will not take the state tests. However, the child must also inform the teacher that she or he will not be taking the tests. You can use these sample letters to opt out of the tests: bit.ly/IARoptout2023

Will my child be penalized for not taking the test?

No. There are no consequences for not testing and your child should not be punished for opting out of the state test.

Will state tests help my child or school in 2023?

Schools and teachers gather better information from everyday instruction than from standardized testing for helping your child learn. In addition, the delays in getting test results to schools mean they will not provide information that can be used to help your child this year.

Are there negative consequences for their school if my child opts out?

Schools may receive a lower accountability rating, but, since 2015, there have been no punitive consequences attached to those ratings for schools. In fact schools with lower ratings receive more support including, potentially, additional funding. No school has ever lost funding due to low participation.

Continued complicity with a system where state standardized testing disrupts learning is far more damaging to our public schools than families refusing the tests.

What will my child do when tests are being administered to other children?

Students should be given an alternative educational activity while other children are taking the test.

(Print the I Am Refusing image as Avery 6874 stickers)

Want to learn more? Read our main issue page on standardized testing here. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 773-916-7794

Aside from the city of Chicago, school board elections throughout Illinois take place next spring on April 4, 2023, and candidates can begin collecting signatures to get on the ballot this fall. (The 2023 candidate guide is not yet out from the State Board of Elections, but the 2021 guide has basic info about running.)

If you’re considering running for your local school board or want to support candidates, there’s a great online training next week Wed June 22 at 6pm for current and prospective board members.

Yesterday at the May IL State Board of Ed meeting, State Superintendent Ayala made a major announcement: ISBE will not be pursuing their proposal to expand state testing that was first announced last spring.

Frequently Asked Questions for grades K-8

What is state testing in Illinois for Grades 3–8?

State testing in Illinois for Grades 3–8 consists of a series of tests. Nearly all students in Grades 3–8 take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), which tests students in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Students in Grades 5 and 8 also take a science test (ISA). Students with severe learning disabilities take a different test, called the DLM-AA. Students who are English Language Learners also take a test called ACCESS, which tests their proficiency with the English language.

How can my child opt out of taking the state tests in 2022?

In Illinois, a parent can inform the school that a child will not be participating in state testing but, according to the IL State Board of Education guidance, children must refuse the test themselves. We recommend that the parent submit a letter to the school indicating that the child will not take the state tests. However, the child must also inform the teacher that she or he will not be taking the tests. You can use these sample letters to opt out of the tests: bit.ly/IARoptout2022

Will my child be penalized for not taking the test?

No. There are no consequences for not testing and your child should not be punished for opting out of the state test.

Will state tests help my child or school in 2022?

The unique challenges of the last few school years, including changes to the 2021 test administration, mean that the test results this year cannot be used reliably to compare with results from previous years. Schools and teachers will gather better information from everyday instruction that will be more useful for helping your child learn.

Are there negative consequences for their school if my child opts out?

Schools may receive a lower accountability rating, but, since 2015, there have been no punitive consequences attached to those ratings for schools. In fact schools with lower ratings receive more support including, potentially, additional funding. No school has ever lost funding due to low participation.

Continued complicity with a system where state standardized testing disrupts learning is far more damaging to our public schools than families refusing the tests.

What will my child do when tests are being administered to other children?

Students should be given an alternative educational activity while other children are taking the test.

(Print the I Am Refusing image as Avery 6874 stickers)

Want to learn more? Read our main issue page on standardized testing here. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 413-3OPTOUT

Public comment at December 15, 2021 ISBE meeting from Cassie Creswelll, IL-FPS director

Ahead of Wednesday’s IL State Board of Education meeting, thirty-seven Illinois state legislators are sending a letter Tuesday to the Board asking them for more due diligence before any approval vote on a multi-million dollar new state testing system.

Last week, a lawsuit was filed against 145 school districts including Chicago Public Schools, Governor Pritzker and ISBE by groups of parents at these districts to lift the mask mandate and other covid safety measures in the schools. Each group of parents gave Attorney Tom Devore $5000 totalling $725K donated to make our schools and communities unsafe.

In April 2021, the IL State Board of Education had an item on its agenda to approve of a Request for Proposals for a contract to start on July 1, 2021 to replace the annual math and reading tests for 3-8th grade (IAR). New interim tests given three times a year and made available for K-2nd grade as well (with the state paying the cost for the schools that chose to test K-2nd grade students.)

To meet federal requirements, Illinois couldn't immediately replace the IAR but would need to pilot this new test until 2024 or 2025. So 20% of IL students would take both the IAR and these new tests until then. The expected cost of the new test is $228M over the next ten years---on top of the cost for the remaining four years of IAR testing.

After IL-FPS and our allies raised questions, the Board's approval vote was delayed until May, and then delayed again. And intense pushback from educators, parents and assessment experts has so far put a pause on the vote. Stakeholder feedback sessions on a new assessment were finally held in February 2022, and the Board is scheduled to consider the findings from those sessions in March with a vote on the proposal in May 2022.

Read more about the testing system proposal and what you can do about it in our one-pager: 2021 State Testing Update: What you need to Know

And learn about what interim tests are and why they aren't suitable for a high-stakes accountability system in this explainer: Interim tests: What you need to know

The Teach Not Test coalition that IL-FPS is a part of has more info on this site.

Sign up below to stay in the loop on future developments and action steps! The State Board of Ed has said it will be holding stakeholder sessions in October and November; we can alert you a session near you if you are on our mailing list.

Questions? Email us at [email protected]

Frequently Asked Questions for grades K-8

(Español sigue abajo)

What is state testing in Illinois for Grades 3–8?

State testing in Illinois for Grades 3–8 consists of a series of tests. Nearly all students in Grades 3–8 take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), which tests students in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Students in Grades 5 and 8 also take a science test (ISA). Students with severe learning disabilities take a different test, called the DLM-AA. Students who are English Language Learners also take a test called ACCESS, which tests their proficiency with the English language.

How is state testing different in 2021?

Unlike previous years, results from state tests will not be used for rating schools or for other state accountability purposes. School districts will have more flexibility about when to administer the test. And no school will face penalties this year for low participation, including loss of funding.

What is opting out of the state tests?

“Opting out” of the test is a decision not to take the tests.

How can my child opt out of taking the state tests in 2021?

In Illinois, a parent can request that a child opt out of the tests but children must refuse the test themselves. We recommend that the parent submit a letter to the school indicating that the child will not take the state tests. However, the child must also inform the teacher that she or he will not be taking the tests. You can use these sample letters to opt out of the tests: bit.ly/ILOPTOUT2021 (in English & Spanish)

What if I have chosen remote learning for my child?

All state tests must be taken in person, even if the parents have chosen remote learning for their child. Families that have chosen remote learning can opt out of the tests if they don’t want their child to go to school to take the tests. You do not have to send your child to school just to participate in state testing.

Will my child be penalized for not taking the test?

No. There are no consequences for not testing and your child should not be punished for opting out of the state test.

Will state tests help my child or school in 2021?

The unique challenges of this school year, including changes to the test administration, mean that the test results this year cannot be used reliably to compare with results from previous years. The delays in getting test results to schools mean they will not provide information that can be used to help your child this year. Schools and teachers will gather better information from everyday instruction that will be more useful for helping your child learn.

What will my child do when tests are being administered to other children?

Students should be given an alternative educational activity while other children are taking the test.

(Print the I Am Refusing image as Avery 6874 stickers)

Want to learn more? Read our main issue page on standardized testing here. Watch our info session on YouTube. Questions? Email [email protected]

Optar por No Participar en las Pruebas Estandarizadas de Illinois en 2021

Preguntas Frecuentes para grados K-8º

¿Que es la prueba estatal en Illinois para los grados 3–8?

Las pruebas estatales en Illinois para los grados 3–8 consisten en una serie de pruebas. Casi todos los estudiantes en los grados 3–8 toman la Evaluación de Preparación de Illinois (IAR), que evalúa a los estudiantes en Artes del Lenguaje Inglés y Matemáticas. Los estudiantes de los grados 5 y 8 también toman un examen de ciencias (ISA). Los estudiantes con discapacidades de aprendizaje severas toman una prueba diferente, llamada DLM-AA. Los estudiantes que están aprendiendo Inglés (ELL) también toman una prueba llamada ACCESS, que evalúa su competencia con el idioma inglés.

¿En qué se diferencian las pruebas estatales en 2021?

A diferencia de los años anteriores, los resultados de las pruebas estatales no se utilizarán para evaluar las escuelas o para otros propósitos de responsabilidad estatal. Los distritos escolares tendrán más flexibilidad sobre cuándo administrar el examen. Y ninguna escuela enfrentará sanciones este año por baja participación, incluyendo la pérdida de fondos.

¿Qué es optar por no participar en las pruebas estatales?

"Optar por no participar" de la prueba es la decisión de no tomar las pruebas.

¿Cómo puede mi hijo/a optar por no tomar las pruebas estatales en 2021?

En Illinois, los padres pueden solicitar que el/la estudiante opte por no tomar las pruebas, pero los estudiantes deben rechazar la prueba ellos mismos. Recomendamos que los padres envíen una carta a la escuela indicando que el/la estudiante no tomará las pruebas estatales. Sin embargo, el/a estudiante también debe informar al maestro que no va a tomar las pruebas. Puede utilizar estas cartas de muestra para optar por no participar en las pruebas: bit.ly/ILOPTOUT2021 (en ingles y español)

¿Qué pasa si he elegido el aprendizaje remoto para mi hijo?

Todas las pruebas estatales deben realizarse en persona, incluso si los padres han elegido el aprendizaje remoto para su hijo/a. Las familias que han elegido el aprendizaje remoto pueden optar por no hacerse las pruebas si no quieren que su hijo/a vaya a la escuela para hacerse las pruebas. Usted no tiene que enviar a su hijo/a a la escuela solo para participar en las pruebas estatales. 

¿Será penalizado mi hijo/a por no tomar el examen?

No. No hay consecuencias por no hacer pruebas y su hijo/a no debe ser castigado por optar por no participar en la prueba estatal.

¿Las pruebas estatales ayudarán a mi hijo/a o a la escuela en 2021?

Los desafíos únicos de este año escolar, incluyendo los cambios en la administración de pruebas, significan que los resultados de las pruebas de este año no pueden usarse de manera confiable para compararlos con los resultados de años anteriores. Los retrasos en obtener los resultados de las pruebas a las escuelas significan que no proporcionarán información que se pueda usar para ayudar a su hijo/a este año. Las escuelas y los maestros recopilarán mejor información de la instrucción diaria que será más útil para ayudar a su hijo/a a aprender.

¿Qué hará mi hijo/a cuando se le administren exámenes a otros niños?

Los estudiantes deben recibir una actividad educativa alternativa mientras los otros estudiantes están tomando el examen.