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As Florida Standards Testing Starts, Some Leon County Parents Opt Out

As Florida Standards Testing Starts, Some Leon County Parents Opt Out
Posted at 6:10 PM, Feb 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-01 05:02:52-05

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - In schools across the Sunshine State, students have started taking the Florida Standards Assessment.

But more and more parents have started opting their students out of the exam including here in Leon County.

This week is the beginning of the FSA testing period for English, language arts and mathematics.

But some parents have kept their students home, claiming there's too much weight put on the importance of the test.

The FSA has been criticized by parents, teachers and superintendents across florida.

Locally, a small but growing group of parents have joined a social media group called "Opt Out Leon County."

Beth Overholt is one of the group's leaders. She says the high stakes tied to the FSA include keeping students from graduating or moving to the next grade.

"Our kids are more than a score, so we need to look more holistically at our kids. We need to have the teacher input. By using this test, we're ignoring what the teachers have to say," said Overholt. So, I want a teacher who knows my kid to have more of a say in my kid's grade!"

Overholt says there's no punishment for students who don't take the FSA.

She said no score is actually preferred over a low score, to keep overall results from dropping.