Darcie Cimarusti, the ever-vigilant blogger known as Mother Crusader, discovered that Pearson is field-testing a PARCC test for 2nd grade in New Jersey public schools.
She went to the PARCC website and learned that Pearson is developing assessments for K-2. These tests will presumably prepare children for the test in the next grade and the grades after that. You can never start the testing too soon!
The children are being used as guinea pigs to help in Pearson’s product development. She guesses they will be subject to the same rules of confidentiality required of students in grades 3-11, even though they are too young to understand what they agree to do–or not do. “Don’t talk about the test.” Of course, to a child, that is probably an incitement to talk about the test.
She poses this question:
The New Jersey Assembly has already passed a bill that would prohibit the administration of non-diagnostic standardized tests prior to 3rd grade. The Senate needs to act now. They have the power to keep Pearson away from our youngest students. If Pearson’s grade 3-11 tests were field tested in NJ in the 2013-14 school year and implemented in the 2014-15 school year, it stands to reason that a Grade 2 field test this year means the introduction of a Grade 2 PARCC test next year.
So what is the NJ Senate waiting for?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
OMG..Pearson is pure EVIL.
Dr. Ravitch- I know this is a ridiculous question to pose you as many topics are of greater significance now, but I am making a decision and find myself wanting your opinion greatly. I am in a teacher licensure program and I’ve been offered a apprentice teacher at a small charter school. The position would allow me to earn much more money as I finish my degree as opposed to traditional student teaching. As a great admirer of yours and believer in public schools, I’m deeply conflicted about accepting and becoming complicit in a practice I don’t believe is best for all students. However, accepting would mean that I am more financially able to begin my teaching career the way I want (without debt) and I can go back to public schools when I’m licensed. Do you have any advice for me? If I do accept, how can I advocate for best practices and stay true to my beliefs while in the school?
Indigo,
Of course you should work in the charter school. You will learn from the experience. Try to find a charter that treats children respectfully and encourages authentic learning. You will be happier if you do.
But… PARCC tests have the electrolytes kids crave!
Welcome to Costco, I love you.
Idiocracy, here we come…(the best movie ever squashed by commercial interests)
Can’t we call CPS on Pearson? Isn’t it an abuser’s MO to beat someone up and tell them to keep it a secret? I’m being dead serious. Kids are being mentally abused here right in front of a slew of mandated reporters.
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
With the ridiculous amount of testing in our schools, how can they justify the loss of more instructional time for students to play “guinea pig” for Pearson? We need to take back our schools for our children. We need to get the products and vendors away from the students. Let teachers teach, and children learn!
“She went to the PARCC website and learned that Pearson is developing assessments for K-2. These tests will presumably prepare children for the test in the next grade and the grades after that. You can never start the testing too soon!”
It’s a great point. I think of it as “Common Core testing mission creep”
What is the check and balance on this? Now that the federal government has signed on and state governments signed on (although half of them are now lying about signing on, claiming “coercion”) and the entire ed reform “movement” that dominates policy debates have signed on, who will act to limit the influence and reach of Common Core tests?
What’s the check on this? Volunteer bloggers?
You should be aware that PARCC tests are in the works for Kindergarten. They are called “formative tasks.” They are more accurately labeled “Tests for Tykes. You can find a draft of the exam for reading informational text as called for in the Common Core category at http://parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/PARCC%20DRAFT%20K-1%20Prototype%20ELA%20K_Reading_Spring_Informational%20Texts.pdf
The test is completely embedded in fully scripted lessons for the teacher. Judging from the reproducible worksheets designed for students, the test makers seem to assume that by the Spring of the school year, Kindergarten students will have learned, or been taught, to write complete sentences (with the proper heights of letters). They will also know how to color in a drawing of a fish. All of the questions are based on one “informational text” about fish. Additional plans are in the works for at least three more kindergarten tests, all of them called “formative tasks.”
There is a real mazy-hazy problem with retrieving trustworthy information about testing materials on line. For example “parcc.pearson.com” seems to be as authoritative as “parcconline.org/parcc-assessment. Then there is parcconline.org where you will find 194 pages of information prepared in 2012 by Achieve, Inc. and the U.S. Education Delivery Institute, the latter an organization lead by Sir Michael Barber, of Great Britain, and also the chief education advisor to Pearson. The lines bewteen the federally financed tests developed by PARCC and Pearson’s pursuit of profits is not at all clear.
Readers should know that parcc.com has test-prep materials for kindergarten math. They are called “games” and they are the product of a cartoon company in Great Britain, complete with audios in a British accent http://parccgames.com/?page_id=25 . The bottom of the page on the games website says: “This site is intended to match students and teachers with the most effective games for reinforcing Common Core curriculum.” Of course, there is no single curriculum for the Common Core.
At http://www.corecommonstandards.com/common-core/kindergarten-common-core-workbooks, you can find three “Common Core Assessment Workbooks” —test prep materials for Kindergarten, I kid you not. Another version of test prep for Kindergartener is discussed by a master educator who has a personal stake in the test-em-til-they drop ethos created by federal and state policies. Go to http://garyrubinstein.teachforus.org/2013/11/26/my-daughters-kindergarten-common-core-math-workbook/
Not to be outdone by the PARCC tests, and CCSS, The Maryland State Department of Education, has PreKindergarten Common Core standards!!! These “specify the mathematics that all students should study as they begin preparing to be college and career ready by graduation.“ The language in these extrapolated standards is so exotic that the writers of the publication had to color-code the language in the standards. See http://mdk12.org/share/frameworks/CCSC_Math_grpk.pdf
So there are more Common Core tests in the works, Kindergarten and perhaps preschool, multiple tests, every year. They are coupled with a cockamamie idea that the Common Core Standards and associated tests are perfect predictors and guarantors of college and career readiness of children in grades K-12, who may survive the testing regime and graduate in 2025-2028…Meanwhile a new Cngress is uncertain whether to say “college OR career,” or “colege AND career.”
The promoters of this belief system and agenda for public schools seem to think that this generation should be locked in a time capsule of ideas and tests. This frozen–in-time agenda for American education has been embedded in federal and state legislation as if to say: There are no paths to useful and rewarding work and the good life, except as set forth in the first decade of this century when these standards were written. The writers said, in effect, there is no need for educators, or parents, or students to think about what life offers and may require beyond passing these tests, getting a job, and going to college. Pathetic.
This is the awful mind-trap that has been set for this generation. Parents and teachers who will not comply with these tests know that the test scores are not 100% faithful and true predictors of life outcomes. For having this warranted knowledge and wisdom, they are being threatened by the purveyors of the non-sense.
Parents who are lawyers or who have access to legal help may want to look at whether districts are in full compliance with FERPA, the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act, and especially with COPPA—the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, regulated by the Federal Trade Commission, not the US Department of Education.
The primary goal of COPPA is to allow parents to have control over what information is collected online “from their children” under age 13.
The FTC “consumer protection office” appears to be getting a batch of questions about the PARCC/Pearson relationship and specifically the on-line testing environment where Pearson—a commercial contractor—is empowered to get personal information from tests and social media websites.
You will find a lively discussion there, along with a clear indication that this matter is just now beginning to show up on the radar screen of a lot of people, especially those who say that parents have no legal right to opt-out. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/business-blog/2015/01/testing-testing-review-session-coppa-schools
Laura, may I “borrow” your thoughts… with or without your name attached… and post them on the Long Island Opt Out FB group page? Your call. I will respect your wishes.
I have been made aware of a district in New Mexico that will be piloting testing of Kindergarteners next year for PARCC…the teachers weren’t involved in the decision and were told in an email announcement….
Name names. what is the district? Why keep it a secret?
MKS, Did the district BoEd approve this or just the curriculum/assessment supervisors? If elected Board OKd, start Recall. If district administrators OKd, contact Board.
PARCC advertises as a testing “system”. So when’s the rollout of the rest of the system?
After this is entrenched in most of the public schools in the country? How is that informed consent?
They are waiting for the highest bidder to grease their palms. Same old, same old.
“U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Tuesday that the federal government is obligated to intervene if states fail to address the rising number of students who are boycotting mandated annual exams.”
They learned absolutely nothing. It’s always dig in and double down.
Test and punish is a way of thinking, and nothing will change until the thinking behind it changes.
The charge was “it’s all about the tests” with the ed reform movement and they are proving that charge correct every day. As far as public schools, the one and only thing they are interested in is testing our kids.
Is Arne going to send in the National Guard?
I’m eagerly awaiting the Pearson Neonatal assessment.
Will the Neonatal test be based on an outcome of who is allowed to reproduce?
So Pearson and the ED-thought police are telling our children that they mustn’t tell anyone (parents) what the adults at school are doing.
Seriously, this is a matter for Child Protective Services!
Since when are children supposed to keep secrets from their parents because another adult told them to?
This testing thing is just getting slimier and slimier.
That law had better cover PreK as well, because that age group is next. In fact, if they are in Head Start, most likely, they are already being subjected to frequent testing beginning at age 3.
“The Lake Hopatcong principal admits in her letter that “students will not be scored on their responses and the school will not receive the results of the testing” while making a feeble attempt to claim students will benefit solely by being forced to sit for a standardized test at the age of 7 to prepare them for the test when they are 8. That’s a pretty hard sell.”
Is there any kind of scholarly debate on just how big this Common Core testing beast should get among test supporters? Are we relying on the restraint, humility and good judgment of the ed reform movement because they’re The Best and The Brightest?
Where is the Institutional Review Board on this? If I were the parent of one of these human subjects I would be very upset about my child being used by Pearson to test their product, and in a public institution!
Where are the famous class action lawyers (like John Edwards) when we need them to institute a major nationwide class action lawsuit on behalf of these child guinea pigs? They brought down the tobacco companies…surely there are enough causes of action with beleagured children to sue not only Pearson, but also all the governmental fools who are imposing the testing, and CC, on an unwilling public.
The height of absurdity, standardized testing– at the computer!– for 5, 6, & 7 y.o.’s. The hapless administrator pitches it to parents as a way for students to be ‘better aware and prepared for’ their 3rd grade PARCC. After all, our K-2 students weren’t scheduled to learn anything the week following spring vacation anyway, right? Why not devote it to test prep?
I say, BRING IT ON. Nothing will activate the momma and papa bears of NJ like a week of spring instruction at the PARCC laptops for their youngest offspring. [This will be especially popular in the 20% of districts, like mine, with 1/2-day K only!]. NJ Opt-Out, here they come.
I think this disqualifies Chris Christie from serving as president. (he still has a right to run). If he cannot show enough leadership to stand up to Pearson terrorizing 2nd graders and teachers and parents……do we really think he is up to……challenges which might occur from other parts of the world?
Why should he stand up to anyone terrorizing teachers when he has been guilty of the same himself for the past five years?
I was supposed to be a substitute proctor for Minnesota’s comprehensive assessments today, but received an email from the assistant principal which said that the state commissioner of education, Brenda Casselius, has called off all the (Pearson) tests until further notice. Apparently they didn’t work yesterday (a Pearson server problem) and there was another day they didn’t work. They still weren’t working today. Maybe this will spur our administration and legislators on to question more deeply what is happening. I spoke with my former superintendent this morning and he said he expects a conference call today with many state superintendents and the commissioner of education to discuss this. I’d like to be a fly on the wall to hear what is said since the state signed a multi year multi million dollar contract with Pearson to administer these tests.
Three sample elementary (g3 to g5) math items from PARCC:
1)
For a school field trip, 72 students will be traveling in 9 vans. Each van will hold an equal number of students. The equation shows a way to determine the number of students that will be in each van:
72 -:- 9 = ?
The given equation can be written as a different operation.
Use the drop down menus to select the operation and the numbers to complete the equation.
___ (9, 72, ?) ___ (+ – X -:-) ___ (9, 72, ?) = 72
Note: Students can only see one set of drop down choices at a time.
_______________________________________
2)
Andy created a rectangular array showing how he would place 56 small tiles on a wall.
He placed 7 tiles in each row. He wrote a multiplication equation using ? symbol to stand for the number of rows he used.
Using the ? symbols to stand for the unknown number, write an equation that Andy could have written.
___________________________________
3)
Ms. Morales has a bag of beads.
She gave Elena 5 beads
She gave Damian 8 more beads than Elena
She gave Trish 4 times as many beads as Damian.
Ms. Morales then had 10 beads left in the bag.
How many beads did Damian and Trish receive? Show or explain how you arrived at each answer.
New York State also administered PARCC field tests to 2nd graders. Here is the memo confirming this (see pages 1-2): http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/fieldtest/parccoptionsmemo.pdf.
I’m just wondering why this was done in NYS… given the NYS Commissioner’s prohibition on non-diagnostic, traditional standardized testing for grades K-2. See 8 NYCRR section 100.3(a)(5): https://govt.westlaw.com/nycrr/Document/I3652b712c22211ddb29d8bee567fca9f?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default).
Unless, of course, PARCC/Pearson is spinning this as a field test for the creation of a non-traditional, diagnostic, standardized test?????
Either way, viva equal protection rights for our 2nd graders! Why should grades 3-8 kids have all the fun?????
On-demand assessments are entirely developmentally inappropriate for young children, 1000% inappropriate.
Secret field testing for useless assessment is like casting Pearlson before little guinea pigs.
Perhaps Pearson will make a test which will prohibit “unqualified” people from having children. That is the logical end of these kinds of thought processes. Tests can be made to assure success in life and of course in society too.
Then we can develop a “super race” and/or a “super society”.
Sound familiar? Or have we forgotten?
Over 20 years ago I was required to test first graders with a standardized test really intended for second graders. The superintendent’s stated rationale was “to get them ready to test in third grade. It will increase their scores.” I joked that we should really start the testing in Kindergarten. Thank you, Pearson, for bringing science fiction nightmares to life.
Something that is not being publicized is that, for NM anyway, this marvelous event (PARCC) occurs more than once per school year. In NM, there was a testing window that was the month of March. Students went on Spring Break for about a week. 0ne week after their return the End of Year PARCC occurs. What learning is that supposed to reflect?
This is a great question that is getting very little attention. For a 7th or 8th grade math (or ELA) teacher this probably amounts to 12 – 15 hours of instructional time between testing cycles. Can anyone explain the point of this insanity?
You know, I see so many little children in restaurants and other public places swiping away on phones and pads. Perhaps the young parents of today will have no problem with their little children taking tests on computers.
Oh, yes….it is a nightmare….I have given most of my second semester to the PARCC monster. The PARCC monster is intent on gobbling up every bit of instructional time that you used to have as a teacher. It is the most frustrating thing I have ever experienced in a 30 year career.
January was practice PARCC testing…February and March was PBA Practice PARCC testing along with the horrible, cold, snowy icy Ohio winter…..and the grand finale was that I had to teach the rest of a new, very hard, developmentally inappropriate common core curriculum in five weeks! My students have glassed over eyes….and I am in a very pitiful state right now. I am more exhausted this year than I have ever been in my career. My husband and children feel very sorry for me. It breaks my heart to see how much less I was able to teach this school year due to the greedy PARCC monster. Sadly, I see a huge difference in the achievement level of my kids due to the fact that I have severely lacked instructional time. I apologize frequently to my students, and I tell them that hopefully things will change…..and teachers will have time to teach again.
NYS Teacher, You are exactly right. There is hardly no time to teach between the testing cycles. The common core promised that there would be fewer objectives and that the teacher would be able to go deeper into the concept. This is totally false. My common core curriculum goes on forever. I have 21 hard objectives to teach by the February PBA task tests…and then, get this……My students have to retain those 21 hard objectives for the April EOY…..along with adding another 29 objectives for the April EOY…and, oh yes, you only have about 5 weeks to add those other 29 objectives to the original 21 objectives. The objectives are very hard and developmentally inappropriate. A lot of material from one and two grade levels ahead came down to my grade level.
I’m exhausted, and I’m sadly seeing it is a battle that I am not going to be able to win. I have fought the good fight. The concepts are way too hard for my students. With the PARCC monster devouring my instructional time, I just don’t have enough time to spend on mastering this difficult content. I mourn for the loss of our old Ohio curriculum. I miss the Ohio Achievement Assessment like a dear friend. Our old Ohio curriculum was not broken. It did not need fixed. My students learned a lot, and I had enough time to teach developmentally appropriate objectives. It is all heartbreaking to me.
Many states have traded tried and true, successful standards, scope and sequencing, and curricula for the Common Core disaster (Arne’s Folly). Hopefully the opt-out movement will be spreading to OH and every other state being subjected to this madness. The degree to which important topics have been pushed down into grades where students are just not ready – topics that don’t resurface when they are. Teaching the relationship between fractions, ratios, and per cents ENDS in 7th grade. Students stop learning about one of the most important and practical forms of math at age 12! Never to be seen again.
I have no idea how delivery of inappropriately leveled content with inappropriate practices is even ethical. If you have a specialty degree or certification in early childhood education, just stick to DAP. That is the only way you can walk in and out of school every day with your head held high, instead of in pure, umbridled shame. No one and no test and no curriculum is the puppet master of my professional judgement about teaching five year olds appropriately. Should PARCC seek to start minin America’s kindergartners, I will fight for a child’s right to a pleasant, stress free first year of school. Stress is bad for kids, and there is no doubt that a kindergarten PARCC exam for five year olds would be stressful. On demand assessments are not DAP.
Mining…spelling correction
DAP=Developmentally Appropriate Pedagogy?
The NAEYCS (National Association for the Education of Young Children), and all state AEYCS use this acronym for Developmentally Appropriate Practice.
Got it. I had enough trouble remembering my own set of acronyms in special education.