Can a charter school require each student to participate in state testing?
Charter school pupils are required to participate in the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program (STAR). Parents have the right to waive, under specified conditions, state testing requirements. A charter school cannot disregard or take away this parental right for any reason and cannot require participation in the STAR, or any test not required by the State as a condition of enrollment, even if it has embedded such a requirement into its charter. However, the CDE encourages charter schools to strongly endorse STAR participation, so that student performance may be measured over time to support the intent of the original Charter Schools Act of 1992. back to top Questions and answers associated with this topic were revised to conform with recent changes in the law. Please review the legislative update at Charter School Legislation for a summary of the recent changes.
