Bill > H3395

This bill, titled "Clarifying parental rights in the administration of standardized tests," aims to allow parents or guardians to exempt their elementary and secondary school students from standardized tests upon written request. Specifically, it amends existing law to permit a parent or guardian to request an exemption from any standardized test or assessment instrument used for comprehensive diagnostic assessments, as well as from "district diagnostic assessments," which are defined as district-level standardized tests used for preparation or practice for statewide assessments. The bill mandates that such exemption requests must be granted in writing within 20 days and will apply to the current academic year and subsequent years unless otherwise specified by the parent or guardian. Furthermore, it requires schools to provide alternative educational activities for students who are exempt from these tests during the assessment period, and it clarifies that students exempted by parental request will be excluded from calculations related to participation rates and performance benchmarks for federal and state evaluations.