Rep. Abed offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 361.  

            A resolution to urge the Congress and the President of the United States to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, to allow parents to opt their children out of high-stakes standardized testing without fear that their decision will negatively affect their school's standing.

            Whereas, The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires all students to be tested in grades three through eight and once in high school. Schools must meet a 95 percent test participation rate to avoid being publicly labeled as failing; and

            Whereas, There is growing concern among parents about the impact of high-stakes standardized testing, causing them to exercise their constitutional right to opt out their children. If enough parents withhold their students from standardized assessments, participation rate could be affected, hurting a school's rating, which could result in penalties and sanctions. Parents who question the value of standardized testing should be allowed to decide whether or not their children take part without worry about the ramifications for their children and their school; and

            Whereas, The percentage of students who take a test is not indicative of the academic performance of a school. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act should be amended to end the punitive punishment of schools that do not test 95 percent of students due to parents exercising their right to opt their children out of high-stakes testing; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we urge the Congress and the President of the United States to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to allow parents to opt their children out of high-stakes standardized testing without fear that their decision will negatively affect their school's standing; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.