Bill to let parents opt kids out of taking SBAC test dies in committee

Legislation allowing parents to opt their kids out of taking the upcoming Common Core-aligned tests to graduate from high school  died in a House committee yesterday, after earlier passing the Senate on a unanimous, 35-0 vote, Idaho Education News reports. SB 1070, sponsored by Rep. Steven Harris, R-Meridian, and Sen. Steven Thayn, R-Emmett, would have allowed students and parents to opt for an “alternative route” to meet the graduation requirement.

A group of parents – one wearing a button reading “Refuse the SBAC” – turned out to support the bill, reports EdNews reporter Clark Corbin, saying it would give them freedom and allay their concerns about high-stakes tests. But committee members questioned the alternatives identified in the bill. “Those alternative routes are set so low that regular kids could pass it probably in the eighth grade,” said Rep. Ryan Kerby, R-New Plymouth. “This is no measure whatsoever of what we expect a kid to know when they left school to be college and career ready.” Just four committee members supported the bill; Corbin’s full report is online here .