Dear Editor,
As an extension of the New Jersey Department of Education, the school district and administrators are obligated to present PARCC exam results in a particular light and to advocate for student participation. However, as parents, I believe we need to dig deeper and ask ourselves a few questions.
Does the PARCC test actually add value to my child’s education? In other words, do you think the results of the test told your child’s teacher something she/he didn’t already know from working with your child on a near daily basis? Did you learn more about your child’s academic strengths and weaknesses from the December conference with the teacher or from the PARCC test results?
More than 20 percent of Haddonfield students refused the test. Public school advocates tracked more than 100,000 refusals in New Jersey last year.
Across the country, more than half a million students opted out of high-stakes standardized tests. Top colleges are eliminating SAT/ACT testing requirements for admission. The number of states participating in the PARCC has dropped from 23 to six plus Washington D.C. Why?
Please consider the PARCC in terms of the instructional and financial cost versus the value it provides to your child and to our schools.
Appropriate, valid assessments are a necessary part of quality education. However, after much research and consideration, I firmly believe that the PARCC does not meet either of those criteria and focusing our priorities on this exam is harmful to our schools and to our students. I hope you’ll consider joining the many Haddonfield families whose children did not take the test last year. Send a letter to your child’s teacher and principal today letting them know you are refusing the 2015–2016 PARCC for your child and join us in letting our legislators know that that we want meaningful education for our children.
Stephanie LeGrand
