Gov. Brown signs Student Assessment Bill of Rights

Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill that would require school districts to inform parents of public school students of their rights to opt out of standardized tests.

HB 2655, also called the Student Assessment Bill of Rights, passed the Oregon Senate June 11 after it generated a good deal of public testimony from educators, parents, students and advocates.

The bill enables parents to opt their children out of the Smarter Balanced assessment for any reason and requires that districts inform them of that right.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium was administered for the first time in Oregon public schools for the first time this year. It assesses students on the common core, which are learning goals adopted by the state in 2010. The test replaced the Oregon Assessment on Knowledge and Skills and is said to be more difficult and takes longer for students to complete.

The U.S. Department of Education said that the state has an obligation to ensure 95 percent of its students participate in standardized tests. If it fails to have that participation, the state could be at risk of losing up to $140 million a year in federal funding.

Brown said in a statement Tuesday that participation is crucial to success.

"Educators must engage with parents about the value of assessment and the potential consequences if parents opt out and student participation diminishes," Brown said in a statement. "We cannot afford to risk losing federal dollars, especially for students who have been traditionally underserved."

jjohnson@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6714 or follow on Twitter.com @Joce_Johnson1