The PARCC is a newly developed standardized test given in 13 states, including New Jersey. There has been quite a bit of controversy about the test, but what exactly is the PARCC?
According to the PARCC’s official website, “The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers is a group of states working together to develop high-quality assessments that give teachers, students, and parents information they can use to improve instruction and meet the needs of individual students.” PARCC is aligned with the Common Core Standards, helping give a baseline as to what should be taught in schools. The grade levels who are chosen to participate in the PARCC are determined by each individual state. High school students are given the PARCC exam around the three-quarter mark of the year, at around March, and are given a post test in May. This coming March will be Colonia High’s first year participating in the PARCC.
Students are tested on Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy throughout the course of the exam. Unlike the HSPA or NJASK tests, the PARCC test is taken on a computer. Every student is given four hours to complete each section, Math and English, and students with disabilities receive more time to complete each task.
Lately, there have been debates amongst the community over the PARCC test. Some parents are opting their children out of taking the test. The NJEA, the New Jersey Education Association, released four advertisements against the PARCC, and even New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is having concerns with the Common Core.
Colonia High freshman Brittany Walker spoke out about her experience with the PARCC practice test. “I had to test on a course I started two weeks ago. The questions were difficult to answer, and I had to skip over many questions.” She went on to explain, ” The PARCC made me feel stressed. I’m getting stressed out on something that really has no benefit to me or my future.” Just like Walker, students throughout the country are facing the similar problems pertaining to the exam. For instance, students sturuggle with limited knowledge of the content that they are being tested on and some may even face difficulties responding to questions via computer.
Despite all of the glitches and concerns about the PARCC, Mrs. Cynthia DiChiara, Colonia High’s Department Head of English and World Languages, remains confident about the testing. “We are very optimistic. We just want to see how we do overall, because the test is really challenging. It’s truly a new wave, so we just have to ride it out.” The PARCC provides information for teachers, students, and schools, letting them know what needs to be included in the cirriculum for each grade, and where each school stands compared to other schools involved.
The PARCC reading, writing, and mathematics tests cost about $24 per student. The official website states, “Although the PARCC tests generally cost about the same as the average current state tests, they will be higher quality and include multiple performance-based tasks in both ELA/literacy and math. ”
Colonia High School begins their walk in the PARCC on March 23, 2015. Whether students will continue to PARCC or drive on in a different testing direction in the future, all students are encouraged to take the test seriously. Good luck to all who are PARCCing this March.
