STAAR testing statewide has kicked off this month and some parents in Houston ISD are choosing to allow their students to opt out of the state-mandated test. The TEA argues that parents do not have the "right" to opt out of the STAAR testing, even though students no longer must pass the test to be promoted to the next grade level or graduate from high school. Ruth Kravetz is a former HISD chemistry teacher and co-founder of the Community for Voices of Public Education. Kravetz explained that the student will get a zero for not taking the test and to opt out a parent must follow a series of steps that include writing a letter to the principal ahead of deciding to not take the test. Read about how parents are choosing to opt out the state-mandated test to protest the TEA’s takeover of HISD online, at houstonpublicmedia.org 📸: AP Photo/Butch Dill #TEATakeover #HISD #HoustonISD