Test Refusal Information
Please see the links to the left for the parent/guardian letter and refusal procedure.
Administrative Test Refusal Summary
3rd - 8th Grade State Assessments 2016-17
Parents are expected to submit in advance of the first week of NYS Assessments a written letter, note, or e-mail indicating that their child is a test refusal for all NYS Assessments for the 2016-2017 school-year.
- If the written notification is received on or before the Thursday, prior to assessment week, parents can expect a district auto call message and district auto email letter, initiated by the principal, at the end of the week they submitted their written refusal (in the case of the week before any exam, the auto messages will be completed no later than the Thursday prior to the start of the exam)
- If the written notification is received after that Thursday, parents can expect a district auto call message and district auto email letter, initiated by the principal, on the day that the written refusal letter was delivered to the school.
- If the written notification is received on the day of the assessment, parents can expect a district auto call message and district auto email letter, initiated by the principal, as soon as practical on that day.
- If on the day of the assessment your child refuses to participate, parents can expect a call/auto call from the principal to confirm your wishes and to ask you to submit the refusal in writing the next day. Please understand the student will not be presented with an exam until the school verifies, with a parent, that the student is a test refusal. (NOTE: the student will be subject to all make up requirements of the state assessment, if confirmation of a test refusal is not received from the parent/guardian.)
- Each school will maintain records of student refusals for organizational/planning/audit purposes.
What you can expect on Assessment administration day:
- Refusal students will be assigned a seat in the back of the examination room, if notification was received at least by the Thursday prior to the start of the assessments.
- All students are expected to bring a book to the exam sessions and it will be placed under their desk.All students will sit quietly at their desks during test distribution and while directions are read.
- Once the proctor completes the directions and distributes the test, the test refusal students may begin reading their book.
- All students are expected to maintain a quiet testing environment.
- All test refusal students who have sat for the testing session are not subject to the assessment make-up procedures.
- In the case in which a student is required to legally leave during the administration of the assessment, for a scheduled appointment, the parent should pre-arrange this excuse with the school prior to the examination period. The student will be held back from the exam to convenience the parent in picking the child up for their appointment. However, the student will be subject to any make-up procedures for state testing.
- If a parent requests their refusal student leave during the assessment, the student is subject to the assessment make-up procedures
- If a true emergency arises, during the exam, the building administration will have to address this very rare situation in the best interest of all.
What you can expect on Make-up Assessment administration day:
- All students are expected to bring a book to the exam sessions and it will be placed under their desk.
- All students will sit quietly at their desks during test distribution and while directions are read.
- Once the proctor completes the directions and distributes the test, the test refusal students may begin reading their book. (If the only students in the room for assessment make-ups are all test refusal students, the students will be immediately returned to their normal daily schedule.)
- All students are expected to maintain a quiet testing environment.
- All test refusal students who have sat for the testing session are not subject to any make-up procedures.
- In the case in which a student is required to legally leave during the administration of the make-up assessment, for a scheduled appointment, the parent should pre-arrange this excuse with the school prior to the examination period. The student will be held back from the exam to convenience the parent in picking the child up for their appointment. However, the student will be subject to any additional make-up procedures for state testing.
- If a parent requests their refusal student leave during the make-up assessment, the student is subject to additional assessment make-up procedures
- If a true emergency arises, during the exam, the building administration will have to address this very rare situation in the best interest of all.