Do PARCC Assessments Test The Skills That Really Matter For College And Career Success

Parents and students are protesting against the new PARCC tests that have been scheduled. The purpose of the PARCC standardized tests is to measure the effectiveness of teachers at preparing their students for their careers and colleges in line with the federal common core standards. PARCC is short for

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career.

While the core reason for carrying out these tests across many states is a good one, many believe that the questions asked in these tests are not adequately in line with the grade level they are testing. Also, some parents and students feel that the questions asked are not reflective of what they have learned in their classrooms. Each grade level’s test is divided into many sections, including math skills, writing, problem-solving, critical thinking, and reasoning.

Why Are These Tests Considered Important By The States?

The committee feels that there needs to be a standardized test all over the country that better aligns with the content that the students have been learning in their classrooms. This is because such tests will be able to measure the teaching standards at schools and whether they are in line with the standards established by the state or not.

The Reason Why Most Parents Are Opting Out

Parents complained that tests are aligned with what the teacher is doing instead of what the child is learning. Also, such tests take up most parts of a child’s life, and all the children end up doing is study and study and nothing else. They have also considered these tests to be a little too time-consuming and challenging for their children.

Some teachers have reservations against the decision of these parents to opt their children out of these tests. They feel that such tests will be better able to measure how well the teachers are doing to prepare their students at par with the new standards. Without tests such as these, the teachers feel that there will be no sure shot way of determining whether the students are learning material according to the new standards or not.

Are These Tests Effective?

Most of the stakeholders think that these tests are not effective at making students successful after high school. They are more of forceful learning where students have to be aware of complicated concepts that are not even required at their grade level to pass these exams. The difficulty level of the test is intense. Many believe that there is no reason for students to go through all of this.

Additionally, these students already have to go through many other tests when they are in high school, both internal and external. The PARCC is hence simply an added pressure on these kids where they are forced to perform well.

These tests are also computer-based, which means that students need to be proficient at their use of computers to pass these tests. Third-grade students might just be getting used to typing on the computers, which means that testing them on these computers is not entirely fair.

In some states, students have no option but to give these tests since they will not receive their diploma otherwise. Parents have opposed this testing; it is still being enforced, with parents having to fight their way through to get their children out of it. While it seems like a great idea to have a standard form of testing to measure how well the children are doing in schools, the tests should not be too difficult. Also, if parents feel that their kids would be better off if they opted out of these tests, they should be allowed to do so. There is no reason to force children to take tests they are not comfortable with taking.


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Paul Cook

With nearly ten years as the head writer and editor for a successful marketing company, and five additional years as a freelancer, Paul has written about hundreds of topics in an entertaining and informative way. He has also produced crisp, professional and sales-driven marketing copy along with print and email advertising campaigns that capture the unique personalities of his clients and communicate the superiority of their services.

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