Is my child with an IEP required to participate in state testing?

Each year, students in grades 3 through 12 take statewide assessments in the spring. Which statewide assessment the student will take and any accommodations a student will need during statewide testing are outlined in the IEP. There are typically two options for students: (1) the traditional statewide assessment and (2) the alternate state assessment.

Students are not required to take the statewide assessments. If a parent wants to opt their child out of state testing, they may do so by writing an email or letter to the school and simply stating that they would like to opt their child out of state testing for that academic school year. This request must be in writing and it’s important to retain a copy of the request in your records. Schools must grant this request, but will not present this as an option to you because they are only permitted to have a certain percentage of students opt out. This process takes place outside of the IEP, so even if you opt out, you will still need to have a testing section on the IEP as though your child was planning to take it.

For more details, see our article Key Parts of an IEP.