About

What is The Opt Out Florida Network?

“…standardized tests are not like the weather, something to which we must resign ourselves. . . .
They are not a force of nature but a force of politics-and political decisions can be questioned, challenged, and ultimately reversed.  Teachers, parents, and students can turn their frustration into action and successfully turn back the testing juggernaut in order to create classrooms that focus on learning.”
Alfie Kohn – The Case Against Standardized Testing, 2000

The Opt Out Florida Network represents a community of opt out groups and administrators from across the state. The network originated with the work of Opt Out Orlando (learn more about Opt Out Orlando here and here). However, knowing there is power in numbers, we recognized the need for a broader coalition with more engagement and grassroots action at the local level. The OOF network is a community where parents, teachers, and students can share stories and information; discuss testing, policy, and schooling practices; and become politically active!

Opting out is not easy and it is not fun.  The most successful opt out is one where the student and school suffer no negative consequences as a result of the student not having a test score.

Opting out of state-mandated standardized testing is a moral stand against the harms that have been heaped upon our children because of the high stakes tied to testing in the name of false accountability. Opting out is an act of civil disobedience.

In the last few years, the landscape of public education has changed dramatically.  The stakes are as high as they have ever been.  But evermore parents, teachers, and students are aware and awake and we firmly believe that grassroots activists here in Florida and across this country will be able to roust the masses into action to help transform public education into what it was meant to be for all of our children:

• a learning experience full of joy and discovery, NOT how to fill in bubble sheets.
• where curiosity and creativity are nurtured by hands-on learning; NOT rote memorization.
• where children strive toward excellence, NOT a test score
• where a love of learning is the goal, NOT the means to an end – NOT college and career-readiness for all.

What you can expect from The Opt Out Florida Network:

• Factual information about how to opt out and the possible consequences thereof (we do not offer legal advice).
• Support for opting out, based on our experience and others’ experiences shared with us.
• Factual information about what opting out is, and is not.
• Up-to-date information as it becomes available to us.
• Calls to action.