Results Of Latest Wayne PARCC Test Are 'Encouraging,' Superintendent Says

WAYNE, NJ — Results from the district's second year PARCC tests "are encouraging" and the "overwhelming majority" of students took all the tests, Superintendent Mark Toback announced Friday.

In a letter to parents, Toback stated that "overall" more students scored higher this year and a "greater percentage" scored out of the lower end of the proficiency scale, "telling us that student gains are occurring across the board."

Also, the "overwhelming majority of students took all the tests." Compare that to last year when hundreds of high school students did not take the exam or put forth a “minimal effort,” officials previously said.

This year's scores are being returned to schools and parents more quickly than last year's, allowing parents and educators a "greater opportunity to use the results to tailor instruction to support individual students," Toback said.

Beginning with the class of 2021, all New Jersey students will have to pass the PARCC tests to graduate from high school.

The state Board of Education's approval comes after more than two years of vocal opposition to the tests from parents and teachers. That, and fewer than half of the students who have taken it have earned a passing score.

Students entering eighth grade this school year would need to pass both the Algebra I and 10th-grade English PARCC tests.

Patch previously reported that thousands of students skipped taking the tests the first two years and nearly 10,000 graduating seniors were forced to seek portfolio approval to graduate as a result of changes to requirements for the class of 2016.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Related: PARCC Test Becomes Graduation Requirement In New Jersey

Related: PARCC Breakdown: How Did Wayne Students Score On Standardized Test?

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