"The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a group of states working together to develop a set of assessments that measure whether students are on track to be successful in college and their careers. These high quality, computer-based K–12 assessments in Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy give teachers, schools, students, and parents better information whether students are on track in their learning and for success after high school, and tools to help teachers customize learning to meet student needs. The PARCC assessments will be ready for states to administer during the 2014-15 school year."
-PARCC official website
-PARCC official website
Yet they forgot to mention that the PARCC is the newest edition to the already-long list of standardized tests. Replacing many state exams on the Middle School level and 'replacing'(plans to) graduation requirements with such a short notice for High School students. Many people believe that standarized tests are the only way to measure intellect, but education experts diagree. High-Stakes Tests like the PARCC do not accurately represent a student's abilities, and are more likely to harm students due to the amount of energy and time given up towards preparing for these tests.The PARCC was created by a handful of economists that are not well versed in the benchmarks for children's growth and education at certain grade levels and want more to benefit from children monetarily than to actually achieve the goal of teaching or checking progress. Initially, about 23 states were to participate in the distribution of this test, but currently there are 9 states & The District of Columbia left that are taking the PARCC***, including NJ. The state legislators want the students to take the PARCC but does that mean that we, the students need to? Should our children be used merely as test subjects for this exam? Or should we take a stand? Certainly, the latter is more appropriate; to stand up for your constitutional right to be in control of YOUR children's education, not economists who are seeking more money for Pearson. Come on Newark and the rest of New Jersey join the nation-wide opt-out movement!
***Some accounts include New York and Louisiana on the PARCC list of states but the blogger Mercedes Schneider has pointed out that New York is administering Pearson tests for five years (beginning in 2011), but not the Pearson PARCC tests and Louisiana is not an active PARCC state.
https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2015/01/16/mississippi-exits-parcc-louisiana-still-fakes-legitimate-participation/
https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2014/12/05/parcc-is-down-to-dc-plus-ten-states-and-louisiana-isnt-one-of-them/
https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2015/01/16/mississippi-exits-parcc-louisiana-still-fakes-legitimate-participation/
https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2014/12/05/parcc-is-down-to-dc-plus-ten-states-and-louisiana-isnt-one-of-them/