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On Refusing PARCC
Somewhere in, NJ- Parents across the state refused and
protested PARCC testing. The Partnership for Readiness for College and Careers
or PARCC testing has just been completed in New Jersey, and many students were
pulled out of school during the week of PARCC testing.
The tests are administrated to grades 3-8 and high school
students. Although these tests are meant to benefit the students in the long
run, often these tests are known to put a great deal of stress on both the
students and the teachers.
According to PARCC.org, “The PARCC assessments require
students to solve problems using mathematical reasoning and to be able to model
mathematical principles. In English Language Arts (ELA), students will be
required to closely read multiple passages and to write essay responses in
literary analysis, research tasks and narrative tasks. The assessments will
also provide teachers information on student progress to inform instruction and
provide targeted student support”.
Parents across the state are taking action and refusing the
PARCC testing. According to Save Our Schools NJ, Parents have the right to refuse
and not “opt out” of the testing. The site includes resources and a step by
step guide to help parents refuse the testing.
The step by step guide is simple and easy to follow. The
steps a parent will take to refuse PARCC according to Save Our Schools would
include the following; Getting Involved and Informed, Knowing your rights, Composing
a letter or complete a form informing your local district that you’re refusing
(not “opting out” of) testing for your child. There is even a step provided
just in case the district refuses to cooperate. And lastly the site suggests
that parents contact legislators and encourage them to support student-centered
legislation.
Among the resources provided Save Our Schools provides a
list of 12 reasons why they oppose the testing. Some of the reasons include,
The PARCC testing is poorly constructed and confusing, the testing format can
be very problematic and confusing for students, and even go on to say the PARCC
will distort curriculum and teaching.
Parents and educators are
allowed to access a practice PARCC test, to see what their children will be
partaking in. “I gave up on one of the language arts questions. It seems very
fragmented and not a good way to learn” said a women with a PHD in humanities,
in a video compilation of parents and educators provided by Save Our Schools. Educate yourselves on the test and then make a
decision based on your opinions and believes, Support or Refuse PARCC the
choice is yours.
(This was an assignment I submitted for my news writing course, I thought it was an appropriate and timely time to post it to here!)
