N.J.'s new standardized test gets F in South Jersey
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| From a Washington Township third grader to grandparents, educators, and parents, speaker after speaker at a public hearing Thursday rose to voice displeasure - or worse - with New Jersey's emphasis on high-stakes standardized tests. |
Most had come to complain about the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a new and controversial exam aligned with Common Core curriculum standards. It will be given to third through 11th graders statewide starting March 2.
"PARCC is a not-yet validated test that is wasting valuable classroom time for both teachers and students," said Natalia Reyes, an Eastampton mother of three, speaking to a state student assessments study commission at Camden County College in Blackwood, where the hearing was held.
PARCC supporters have said the test is more rigorous than the exams it is replacing and will help students become college- and career-ready.
But opponents like those at the hearing said PARCC is draining money and resources from other subjects and programs.
Angelina Chila, 8, a third grader at Hurffville Elementary School in Washington Township, said students need to learn more skills and take fewer tests.
In the last three weeks, she said, she has taken eight tests, including a PARCC practice test.
"I think everyone would agree that this is way too much testing!" she said.
Ginny Murphy, a Washington Township school board member, said underfunded mandates like the computer and technology improvements required by PARCC and the new teacher evaluation system have cost her district more than $5 million, hardly offset by about $147,000 in additional state aid. Also, she said, preparing for and implementing PARCC drains staff resources, particularly in a district as large as hers.
"Somewhere between the common standards and the Common Core, we lost our common sense," Murphy said.
Several testified that PARCC is developmentally inappropriate and confusing, with content above grade level and computer skills that many of its takers will not have. They said PARCC would disadvantage many children, including those in special education.
Tamara Gross, a special-education teacher in Cinnaminson, suggested that the money spent on testing, such as the $108 million the State of New Jersey has committed to
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