Final Thoughts on PARCC Testing

Photo of the PARCC logo taken from njpta.org.

Photo of the PARCC logo taken from njpta.org.

Catherine McGarry, Staff Writer

We all witnessed and possibly participated in the constant disputes over whether the new PARCC test is efficient and/or necessary in our school system. For months, it seemed to be the talk of the school. However, now that some students have completed portions of the test and formulated opinions of their own, we can finally get a closer look into the reality of the PARCC test and how it has been accepted amongst the student body.

Upon inquiring many students on their personal experiences with the test, I received a variety of answers.

Freshman Jacob Frenchman reported that, in his opinion, the test “was not very challenging.”

Likewise, sophomore Garrett Izzo said that “though the test had aspects about it that were difficult, it was quite manageable.”

Most students, however, saw more of in an issue in the schedule change, as opposed to the test itself. Although not every single student tested each day, everyone’s schedule was impacted. The periods were broken into shorter and longer time durations according to the time needed for people taking the test. Typically, the periods directly before and after lunch were prolonged and the remaining four were shorter.

“I hated having some classes for 90 minutes and others for 40. I never knew how long my classes would be. It was all so confusing,” complained Frenchman.

In addition to the time change, student attendance had become a fraction of what it usually was in some classes. This was due to the fact that not every student had the same testing schedule, as each student is enrolled in different classes in which they are required to be tested in. As a result of this, the teachers felt pressure to have a simple class period so that the students testing would not be overwhelmed upon their return.

“On testing days, my classes are missing a majority of the people. The workload also decreases significantly because the teachers don’t want to teach a whole new lesson if they are just going to have to repeat it the next day to the kids who missed class. To be honest, it is kind of a waste of a period,” said sophomore, Brielle Rapach.

In total, many students failed to see educational value in the test and could not understand how it would ultimately be beneficial to them in any way. When asked if they would want to take the test again next year, every single person interviewed said no.