Yes, that's the word the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and the school district will use - "required." Thousands of parents do not participate in CSAP every year. When the numbers of test refusals began increasing annually CDE quit tracking that data. While the percentage of those who refuse participation is low, there is a growing discontent with an education driven by McGraw Hill, publishers of CSAP.

Some schools and teachers claim that CSAP will help students get into college. This is a blatant lie. Colleges and Universities throughout the nation will not consider state standardized tests in making enrollment decisions. In the academic world these tests are not considered credible measures of student achievement. In fact 760 colleges and universities have moved away from using standardized test (including ACT's and SAT's) in their selection process. You can learn more about this national trend by visiting The National Center for Fair and Open Testing: http://www.fairtest.org/

Your child will not be retained for refusing to participate in CSAP. Parent will not be sent to jail.