The test, which has drawn controversy for everything from the time it takes away from learning to the use as a judgment tool on students and the district, was first utilized last year to replace the NJ ASK and other tests.
It was said at that time that it would have no effect on grades or graduation requirements. Still, many parents were opposed to the time taken for the test that spanned more than a week in some cases in 2015.
Students are allowed to opt out of the test. But when they do, they are most often placed in a classroom alone or with other opting out students, and sometimes even in the same room as those taking the test. Many have complained this is as much a waste of time as the test itself.
In 2015, 22% of South Orange Maplewood District students opted out. At Columbia High School, some 67% of students chose not to take the test.
It is unknown what will happen this year, but initial concerns do not bode well.
The PARCC schedules issued for Columbia High School and Maplewood Middle School indicate less testing time than last year, but still a full four days each for 9th, 10th and 11th grades.
At MMS, each grade will be tested for four day, with between two and three hours a day on the exams.
"Testing is only 60-120 minutes per day," District Spokeswoman Suzanne Turner said via email. "So students will finish out the rest of the academic day once testing is complete."
CHS Principal Elizabeth Aaron told us via email that:
We are
confident that we have developed a schedule that allows for smooth implementation
of PARCC and the rest of our academic program, including the difficulty
presented by the fact that the state is using weeks that many schools have
spring vacations and the College Board weeks of AP testing for the required PARCC
testing window. It certainly complicated
things for school districts and students. Last year,
PARCC went quite smoothly at CHS. We anticipate it will this year as well. We look forward to beginning to see
multiple years of PARCC assessment data to help us identify strengths and areas
of growth for our students and staff.
See the entire district PARCC schedule HERE.
Turner added that elementary and middle school students who opt out will remain in the same rooms as their classmates taking the test, while CHS students will report to school and be placed in other locations during the test.
While the tests are optional, some parents have been confused about how to opt out, being told in some cases they need to write a letter or make some other formal request.
Aaron told us via email that parents "should" send a letter because "the state requires us to document students not taking PARCC. All CHS parents have received the same directions and communication in email, and paper copy is also going home to all families."
That letter stated, in part:
Should your child not be reporting to school for PARCC, please indicate so in writing to Principal Aaron at Columbia High School, 17 Parker Avenue, Maplewood,NJ 07040. Your letter should include your child’s name and grade and a phone contact at which you can be contacted to verify that information. Please note that your child must then report to school at the times listed on our PARCC schedule contained in this letter. These letters need to be received no later than April 15, 2016.
And letters from Aaron and MMS Assistant Principal Mark Gold strongly suggest the tests carry more weight than they are supposed to.
In his letter to parents, Gold wrote, in part:
We do ask families to encourage their children to do their best on this important assessment. Please make sure your student arrives at school: Well rested. Well fed – hungry students do not test well.
With your encouragement to do well.
In a positive frame of mind.
Aaron, meanwhile, stated:
Please remember that PARCC ELA (English Language Arts) and PARCC Math are two of the New Jersey State Graduation Benchmarks.
But the official state guidelines for PARCC indicate they are not to be utilized for any graduation or grade-related assessment.
Aaron agreed that the test is not a graduation requirement, but said via email it can be used to fulfill some aspects of graduation requirements:
NJ uses
PARCC as one of the possible assessment pathways toward graduation, all listed
on the chart I included with my email. CHS would not or could not require a
state test to be used as a graduation requirement if the state
itself does not. So I would suggest that parents who say it ‘does not have
impact’ aren’t fully understanding the state communications ... It is one of the benchmarks
that students can use to meet the testing requirement in ELA and math for
graduation.
Among the restrictions that Aaron noted in her letter to parents is a ban on cell phones and a threat that they may be taken away for good. She wrote:
NO PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES OF ANY KIND ARE ALLOWED IN TESTING AREAS AT ANY TIME. As per NJ state regulations for PARCC, a test proctor is required to direct the student to turn off any device and hand it in. This creates a ‘testing irregularity’ that must be reported by the school principal to the state of NJ immediately, and the device may be collected from CHS by a state employee. The return of the device to the student is unlikely.
Superintendent John Ramos and other district officials did not respond to requests for comment or questions about the process.
Opposition has been forming for more than a year. Statewide, the Save Our Schools NJ group launched a section devoted to advising parents how to opt out and even has an opt-out form letter.
A recent online survey by NJSpotlight.com, which covers education, found readers overwhelmingly opposed to the test being used for graduation. See those results HERE.
And there is already legislation in Trenton introduced in late 2015 by Assemblywoman Patricia Egan Jones (D-Camden) that would basically ban the test in the future.
"We are losing valuable instruction time in favor of a test with questionable results," Jones told The Star-Ledger at the time. "Students of all academic abilities are struggling under the heavy burden of the current PARCC testing schedule and the adverse strain it places on their learning environment."
A group of educators and concerned residents are holding an event tonight at the Hilton Library to give parents and students information about the testing. Sign up for that meeting HERE.
