February 9, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Currently, the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) is seeking an assessment waiver from the United States Department of Education for the current school year. This waiver, if approved, would exempt New Mexican students from taking the required federal assessments related to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for the current school year. In preparation for an approved waiver, CCSD is encouraging the communities and families to determine local desire to opt-in for ESSA summative assessments program. These assessments will need to be administered securely, proctored in person, and take place on site. Students will have the flexibility to participate in all testing or partial testing without penalty or concern of negatively impacting accountability.
ESSA required assessments, as defined by the NMPED, include:
- All students in grades 3-8 in English Language Arts and Mathematics(MSSA)
- All students in grades 5, 8, and 11 in Science (ASR)
- Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for students in the 11th grade
- Eligible students who qualifies for ACCESS or DLM (grades K-12)
CCSD is asking parents to complete a survey. The survey will take less than four minutes to complete. We ask parents to indicate their preference if they choose for their child to take their ESSA required assessments regardless of the waiver. Parents will have two options:
If the Federal required assessment waiver is APPROVED,
OPTION A: “I wish for my child/student to take the ESSA required assessments (OPT-IN)”
OPTION B: “I do not want my child/student to take the ESSA required assessments”
Should parents choose OPTION A (opt-in) for their child to take these ESSA assessments even in the event of an approved Federal waiver, please remember that the assessments must take place in person, at your child’s current school, per NMPED regulation. Parents choosing OPTION B who wish for their child to NOT take the assessment(s) will not be required to, provided that the Federal government does approve the NMPED’s waiver request. Only students whose parents opt-in (Option A) will take the ESSA required assessments.
You can access this survey in your Parent PowerSchool account, under “FORMS” titled as Spring 2021 Summative Assessment Survey. Please complete this survey for each child that you have enrolled in the Central Consolidated School District. The survey will close at 4:00PM on Friday, February 19, 2021.
We appreciate your participation in this survey. Once we have heard from the NMPED regarding the status of the assessment waiver, we will be sure to inform the community in a timely fashion.
Thank you,
Central Consolidated Schools
WE ARE CENTRAL SCHOOLS!