MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Opting out of mandated tests given to Wisconsin public school children would be easier under a bill being circulated by the Republican chairman of the Assembly Education Committee. The proposal unveiled Thursday by Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt, of Fond du Lac, would require schools to notify parents every year of all the standardized tests students will be given and make clear how to opt out of taking them. The measure would also remove the penalty reflected on school report cards for districts that fail to have at least 95 percent of students take the required test. Thiesfeldt told AM 1170 WFDL’s Between the Lines program he is sponsoring the bill because there is confusion whether current state law explicitly allows students to not take the state’s current standardized test known as the Badger Exam or ACT Aspire.
