Disagreements with PARCCOpinions on PARCC testing range between opposite extremes of the spectrum. People in favor of Common Core feel PARCC testing is the answer to state/national testing we have been looking for. Then, others feel it is the worst possible way to test students. PARCC does provide the benefit of facilitating comparison between states. In addition, the test is taken online so it saves time. However, these benefits do not make up for the burden it will cause schools. The test is more difficult and more costly than past exams. The monetary cost of the technology required to take the exam is heavy. Then, time must be taken to instruct younger students on how to use the technology and on how to type. It takes away from learning time and was not reviewed sufficiently before being put into effect. Fore more detail, see The Problem. |
Disagreements with Common Core |
Common Core has become a very controversial
issue over the past few months, especially with increased involvement in
PARCC testing. On the surface the ideas appear valid. It is meant to be used to compare students to different states and to different nations. It is also meant to measure college readiness and raise the quality of education in states with historically lower standards.
This all seems helpful, but within that there are many issues surrounding all of Common Core's ideas. The quick transition to Common Core's rigorous requirements would be challenging for students in lower income school districts, causing them to perform poorly on the assessments. Common Core sets national standards but offers no route to achieve them. Setting a high bar does not provide schools with the necessary tools to reach them. While the country should hold its education system to a high standard, setting a standard alone is ineffective. Motives of Common Core Another facet of the problem is the motive for creation of these tests, which is to make money. Common Core has close ties with the Race to the Top program. The purpose of Race to the Top is to give states federal money incentive to sign on to using the tests. States are pressured to alter the systems which educate the children for more funding. Profit is by no means a valid reason for instilling all of these changes. Much of the profit goes to the Pearson education system, which handles all of the fine details of the test. Efficacy of the Standards And while the new standards are more challenging, it does not follow that the test accurately measures "college and career" readiness. If anything, the national standards reduce college readiness. They promote uniformity in learning and hamper creativity and individualism. The best education systems in the world have one of two characteristics: either there is deep-rooted cultural value in education and hard work or there is a deliberate effort to provide students with individual, devoted attention from the most qualified people. While we by no means need to try to copy other nations, they have clearly found effective methods. Changing cultural values may not be desirable or achievable, but providing students with the tools they need to learn is. National standards are an attempt to manufacture people who "think outside of the box" using a one-size-fits-all mold. Issues of Implementation Although there are many issues in the ideology of the tests, a huge issue lies in their implementation. Five of the thirty members on the Common Core Validation Committee did not sign the confidentiality agreement. This is a huge issue, especially since there was immense political pressure to sign on. PARCC testing, which has its own issues, is meant to evaluate students based on the standards determined by Common Core. |
Disagreements with Government Involvement |
PARCC supporters believe that the federal government
should have total control over the education system. They feel that American schools
and test scores are slipping compared to other nations because of a
lack of control over the education system. With the national government in control of education, laws can be carried out identically in California, Louisiana, or Maine.
However, according to Amendment 10 of the Constitution, “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people”. Education is a state responsibility. Therefore, it should remain the states' decision as to how they will test their students and ensure that they are receiving the education they deem adequate. States should create the criteria and statewide tests if they so choose. As well, the Obama administration should not offer grants to states if they comply with certain rules. The government should abstain from aiding the states education system in any way, especially financially. The government has no basis for these standards. Politicians are not educators, and as such, they should not be involved in writing curriculum or standards. PARCC testing is just one step in the federal government's move to having more influence in citizens' daily lives and taking over education. They aim to eventually have new standards to grade teachers, privatize many public schools, increase the cost of college education, have corporations control the education system, and more. |
Disagreements on Solutions |
People in favor of the tests feel that PARCC is the
solution to comparing students from
different backgrounds and school districts.
It is a new form of SAT/ACT test for younger students. Common Core establishes a set of standards that all schools must comply with.
PARCC testing is the Obama Administration's application of the ideas of Bush's No Child Left Behind.
People against PARCC believe there are many alternatives to PARCC testing that will not cost as much time or money and be more widely accepted by the public. All states could return to their original state tests which had been in place for years. There are years of experience and improvements behind other tests and therefore no need for a new one. Some believe all forms of standardized testing should be abolished. Oftentimes, the scores do not reflect the intelligence or "college readiness" of a student. More lenient dissenters feel that changes could be made to PARCC that would result in keeping the national test, but with more practical methods. Some proposed alterations include making it a pen and paper exam, shortening its length, and only implementing it one time per school year. |