The Mt. Laurel School District has worked hard to inform residents about the Common Core curriculum and PARCC test in recent months. At an education summit two weeks ago, Superintendent Antoinette Rath said the district has done everything to make sure it is ready for the full unveil of PARCC next year.
“We’re as prepared as any district,” Rath said.
Even though the school district may be ready, one local resident is worried everyone else isn’t prepared.
Jo-Ann Stanley expressed her concerns about Common Core and PARCC to the Mt. Laurel Board of Education at last night’s meeting. Her main concern stems from the belief the new curriculum and assessment is failing in other states where it is already implemented.
Much of Stanley’s concern is the lack of information available to parents. She acknowledged she read through the suggestions brought forward at the education summit, but is worried that may not be enough.
“Maybe issues will come about after it hurts the teachers and the parents,” Stanley said.
Stanley issued a plea to the board to speak out against Common Core, saying it has had negative impacts in other states where it has been in use for a longer period of time. She believes negative impacts will soon trickle their way to New Jersey schools.
The issue of Common Core and the PARCC test is out of the hands of the board and school administrators. Rath told Stanley the state Department of Education mandated the decision to institute the curriculum and administer the test.
“Right now, our state education department has adopted the Common Core,” Rath said. “From this point forward, we have to adhere with what their mandates are.”
Rath encouraged Stanley to sign a petition and take the issue to the state legislature. Stanley said she has already done so, but wanted to bring the discussion to a public forum in hopes of other community members being informed.
Though the school district is prepared for PARCC testing next school year, Rath said she supported a bill a New Jersey assembly education committee passed two weeks ago to delay administration of PARCC testing for next year. At the education summit, Rath said a delay would help prepare other school districts in the state.
When it comes to the subject of PARCC and the Common Core curriculum, Mt. Laurel administrators said they do not want to debate whether the curriculum will positively or negatively affect students. At the district’s education summit, the purpose was to gather ideas from community members on how to inform the public and prepare students for the changes next year, not to open a debate on Common Core.
The school district has continued to take a proactive approach with changes to curriculum. At Tuesday’s meeting, the board passed a resolution that outlines curriculum revisions through the summer of 2020, including changes to science in 2015, literacy in 2016 and math in 2017. Those three subjects are the three students will test on in the PARCC test.
