PARCC

In reading RI Teachers Respond to PARCC A White Paper by Janet D Johnson and Brittany A Richer the problem that they bring up is that "according to the current dominant narrative on public education an achievement gap separates those who academically successful from those that are not".  

There were major themes that were discussed throughout the article and those were (beginning on page 4):

    " -Student perceptions and responses: students had an overwhelmingly negative response to the test.  Teachers reported that the questions were not grade level appropriate, nor were they suited for the students with diverse learning styles and abilities.

     -The students lack of understanding was made real by the tears the teachers had to see fall from students faces.

     -Impact on teaching: survey data revealed excessive time spent preparing students for the technical and content aspects of the test, leading to significant alterations in the curriculum.  Teachers expressed that they do not feel this time spent was worthwhile or that the data will help support their teaching.

     -Impact on teacher autonomy and agency: data shows PARCC testing has negatively impacted how teachers teach.

     -Ethical compromises: Despite the fact that RI has no formal policy for opting out, data shows 59% of teachers felt pressure to tell students they had to take the test."

Personally I despise standardized testing.  Each child learns differently and for some taking a test is so nerve racking that they can't get pest their anxiety to even concentrate on the test.  The teachers are forced to teach to the test and not to what the kids truly need help with while learning reading and writing.  And it is not a clear picture of where your child is academically at all.  PARCC test, I feel is just a frustration for teachers, students and parents.  More time should be spent teaching subjects instead of taking these tests that do absolutely nothing to help these students.