Due to the overwhelming complexities of PARCC Testing and the need to measure students academically the following three solutions are possibilities for improving the current situation involving PARCC:
Return to Original State Tests
Description of Solution: The first possible solution would be to abolish PARCC Testing and return back to an original state standardized test. This would be similar to having the HSPA test that eleventh graders took as a graduation requirement as well as the NJ ASK that elementary and middle schoolers previously took part in. However, for our solution there would be one test mandated and created by the state for public school children in grades 3-11 to take instead of two different tests and certain grades being excluded from testing. The test would not be computerized and would be created by the Department of Education in the State of New Jersey and would be given to students at the end of the year. It would assess students progress and identify any severe learning difficulties and display the level of intelligence students possessed compared to each other in the state to depict any districts where the level of education should be improved. Explanation of how solution solves/address the problem: This solution solves the implementation and design of PARCC Tests because we completely get rid of PARCC. A new state designed test would solve the problem of an outside organization without knowledge of education in New Jersey designing a test for students in this state. Money would not need to be spent in schools for new technology and students would not have to deal with typing and entering numerical equations on a computer. School time would not be wasted twice a year for two weeks because our solution would require less than a week of testing per year depending on the available proctors and rooms at schools. Additionally, a state designed test would be a more accurate depiction of students knowledge and skill set and it would not take over six months to get the results back from an outside organization because there would be less students taking the test compared to the millions of students from multiple states involved in PARCC. |
Description of solution: This solution could be used in order to fix the current issues that have formed as a result of PARCC testing. Since President Obama is pushing Common Core standards across the nation, allowing schools to adopt an improved form of the PARCC test. Many aspects of the test would have to be altered. For starters, the test would become a pen and paper test. We would no longer attempt to test students using laptops. The test would continue to be standardized across the nation, keeping the consistency of PARCC testing. Also, the new form of the PARCC test would be administered to students once at the beginning of the year and once again at the end of the year. The test at the end of the year would be administered after AP tests were over in late May or June.
Explanation of how solution solves/addresses problem: Our major problems with the test include the fact that the test is all computerized and the amount of time it takes to take the test. By no longer making the test computerized, the amount of time spent on PARCC can be better regulated. Pen and paper tests can have set days when they are taken; whereas online tests rely on the availability of computers in the school. Introducing computers into exams adds too many variables. By removing this element altogether, it doesn’t change the validity or consistency of the test, it would just make it easier to regulate and less costly for schools. In addition, by administering the test once in the beginning of the year and once at the end, it will give students more of an opportunity to grow as opposed to giving them a test at the 75% point in the year and the 95% point in the year. Since the test is meant to show growth, testing at time periods so close to one another does not give the students an opportunity to show growth in any capacity. Pushing back the test also lets students prepare for the AP tests instead of preparing for the national PARCC test. Students put so much work into preparing for AP exams, Common Core should not take away from a students opportunity to do well on those tests. |
Description of solution: This solution would completely remove all state and nationally administered tests. Schools would no longer be handing out statewide tests to students every year. Instead, high school students will be required to use either their ACT or SAT scores to pass high school. This will encourage more kids to take these standardized tests but it will not tie them down to a specific time frame. Students will be free to take the tests at any point in their high school career.
Explanation of how solution solves/addresses problem: Using the ACTs and SATs easily addresses many issues created from PARCC testing. For starters, these are already well established and well respected tests. They do not have the same bad reputation as PARCC. Parents are likely to encourage their children to take these tests as opposed to having their children opt out of these exams. In addition, many students plan to take the ACT and/or SAT anyways, so making it a graduation requirement lightens the load on those kids considerably. |