PARCC In Jefferson, Elsewhere Could Be Gone

Opponents of one of the most controversial tests in the history of New Jersey, otherwise known as PARCC, could be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

A new law would prohibit the state from administering the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exams after this school year.

The bill, A-4870, would require the state to prohibit the administration of the math and English tests for grades 3-11, and instructs the state Department of Education to develop and implement a new statewide assessment program.

“We are losing valuable instruction time in favor of a test with questionable results,” Jones was quoted as saying nj.com. “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.”

It’s believed that a significant number of students opted out of the test in New Jersey, one of 11 states and the District of Columbia that administered the new PARCC tests last year. The tests were aligned to Common Core academic standards, and we more challenging than NJASK.

The exams were met with strong opposition from parent groups and the state’s teacher’s union, New Jersey Education Association.

Though New Jersey performed better than the PARCC average, as much as 52 percent of its students scored well enough to meet PARCC’s grade-level expectations on any of the 18 exams, according to nj.com.