Livingston Superintendent Sticks Up for PARCC Opt-Out Movement

Livingston’s outgoing Interim Superintendent Jim O’Neill struck a blow for the PARCC “Opt-Out” movement on Tuesday, stating in an op-ed article that it’s “naïve to think that a test can reflect the complexity of high-quality teaching.”

In the NJ Spotlight op-ed piece, O’Neill wrote that “some one-third of the students in the Livingston district chose not to take new online exams, for reasons that should be respected.”

In March, the district reported that nearly 1,130 out of 4,100 students refused to take the controversial, state-mandated exam, developed by testing giant Pearson Education. [See related Patch article]

O’Neill’s editorial comes less than two weeks after NJ Governor Chris Christie’s announcement that schools with high PARCC opt-out rates may face slashed funding and higher taxes. [See related Patch article]

O’ Neill wrote:

“I am sorry to say the critics of ‘opt out’ are either looking at PARCC (Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) in a one-dimensional way or have engaged in an extremely shallow reading of the issues. Most of the high opt-out rates were in high-performing districts where thousands of students take the most rigorous courses along with multiple tests: PSAT, SAT, ACT, and Advanced Placement. Do we really think that students heading to some of the most prestigious universities in the nation are afraid of taking one more test?”

He added:

“No one is afraid of a more rigorous program and more demanding assessment instruments. But rather than argue the validity of the test and the debatable ways the test results will be used, the DOE has decided not to engage in a discussion about the complexity of issues surrounding PARCC but to simply demean the conscientious objectors. For the first time ever we had tens of thousands of students opt out of a state test. When did we decide it is un-American or anti-intellectual to challenge the status quo? How do we know the questions raised are not legitimate?”

Send Livingston news tips and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com