Has the ELA Opt-Out Movement in Colorado Become Another School 'Choice'?: Analysis of School and Grade Level Influences on ELA Opt Out in Colorado between 2014 and 2019

The Opt-Out of testing social movement gathered a significant following in New York state after the change to assessments based on the newly adopted Common Core State Standards in 2013. Parents and educators in other states joined, but most states moved to hamper these protests. However, Colorado state instead allowed parents to choose whether to let their children participate following the chaotic rollout of the PARCC assessments in spring 2015. Colorado state officials also decided to hold students, teachers, schools, and school districts harmless if the participation rate fell below 95% due to parental refusals. Perhaps as a result, Colorado's opt out rate was one of the highest in the nation from 2014-19. However, the response of parents across the state was highly variable. Some schools enjoyed 100% participation, while others failed to muster 50% participation on the ELA assessments. This research builds on previous research and asks whether there are school (or grade) level factors that influence the opt out of the English Language Arts (ELA) assessments in Colorado between 2014-19. Pooled OLS regressions were used to test several hypotheses. The data collected suggest that schools located in the most affluent neighborhoods are predicted to have a higher than baseline ELA opt out rate. Although there is a strong correlation between student affluence and school performance, each additional percent earned by a school in the state's performance rating is predicted to decrease the ELA opt out rate in the presence of controls for percent of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. The influence of school performance on the predicted rate of opt out of ELA assessments increases as the grade level of students increases. The influence of political partisanship as interacted with school level poverty on ELA opt out rate is also investigated. Results of each regression analysis are discussed using the theoretical frameworks of social and cultural capital theory, the theoretic construct of concerted cultivation of middle and higher SES children, and the political science framework of the voting behavior of mass publics. Whether opt out of testing in Colorado may better be framed as a statement by parents to advocate for policy changes to protect public schooling or as another neoliberal "choice" parents can make to improve their child's schooling opportunities is considered. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]