Good news parents! You do not need to be bullied by your school principal or staff because you rightly chose to refuse the M-STEP. Just tell them you are following the advice of State Board of Education President John Austin to skip the test.
Shanna (last name withheld), a mom with a fourth grade son, sent me the following email exchange with State Board of Education President John Austin. Like many parents, Shanna refused the M-STEP but is frustrated with the principal’s decision not to honor her decision; so she took her concerns to the top. Shanna received the following advice from Austin, “…he should go to school but skip test if you feel strongly.”
The entire email exchange is posted below with permission from the parent. Her last name and school are withheld at her request.
Shanna:
Hello, my name is Shanna (last name withheld) and I currently have a fourth grader at (name withheld) Public Schools. I am very disheartened at the moment as my son will not be taking the Mstep (although his principal says he will be forced if she shows up regardless that he signed a legal document back in October that says otherwise). Apparently he has advised his staff at the school that there will be absolutely no one allowed to skip it if they are at school during the three week testing period. My question for you is if this is correct? If he should show up at anytime is the state forcing districts to test children? Are they really allowed to deny my son education over a test that means nothing this year because I’m choosing, as his parent, to refuse?
A prompt response is greatly appreciated.
Thank you kindly,
Austin: this is our annual state assessment, and is required of all schools and students to gauge how well our school systems are educating kids
Shanna:
Parental rights to refuse the test have been acknowledged by your board. My question is whether or not my son will be denied three weeks of public education (the entire testing period) or if I can just have him miss the test time slots if I don’t allow him to take it?
Thanks again
Austin: the test doesn’t take 3 weeks..only some hours….it is offered during a window that schools can adminster [sic] it
Shanna:
I ask this because my principal told me that any time during the three weeks that my son would be in school he would have to take the test. So I would have to keep him out for three weeks is what he is telling me. Is this the case or is it not?
Thank you much for the quick response
Austin: No, he should go to school, but skip test if you feel strongly
If lawmakers or the Michigan Department of Education will not do the right thing and halt the M-STEP then you have other option. With the encouragement of State School Board President John Austin, skip the test.
To learn more about how to refuse the M-STEP, see this post:
How to Refuse M-STEP with FAQ