New Jersey is the only state in the nation that uses PARCC–the federally funded Common Core test–as a graduation requirement. To begin with, it was not designed for this purpose; a cardinal rule of testing is that tests should be used only for the specific purpose for which they were created.
Lisa Wolff, a school board president in New Jersey, contends that this is a very bad idea. And she is right. PARCC has not been validated as a graduation test. Given its track record, we can expect that a large number of students will not ever get a diploma. Most of those students will be black, Hispanic, English language learners, and/or have disabilities.
Two-thirds of states do not require exit exams.
The worst exit exam is a test normed on a bell curve because the structure of the test dooms a large number of students to fail.
She writes:
“New Jersey is the only state in the nation that mandates passing PARCC as a requirement for a high school diploma; as a result, a significant number of our qualified students are now at risk of not meeting graduation requirements.
“If New Jersey continues on its current path, they may repeat mistakes made by the many states that have issued retroactive high-school diplomas to at least 70,000 students across the country in order to correct for exit-exam challenges.
“Wealthier districts are far less threatened since students can afford to pay for alternative testing to meet graduation requirements. For example at Hopewell Valley Central High School, the vast majority of graduating seniors could meet their high-school exit-exam requirement by employing paid alternatives such as the SAT and ACT.
“Prior to the PARCC requirement, districts used the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) and alternatively, the Alternate High School Assessment (AHSA). The new process does not apply a standardized approach toward demonstrating alternative proficiency. Instead it relies on each district to generate customized benchmarks, tests, and other evidence of mastery to be assembled into a portfolio and personalized to each student. The portfolio is subsequently submitted for DOE review.
“This raises an obvious manpower problem. Staff spends weeks of valuable time generating portfolios rather than instilling academic knowledge. The problem amplifies as numbers increase. Failure rates may escalate as students receive less classroom instruction time.
“Additionally, it begs the question … how much increased staffing is needed at the DOE to review portfolio submissions from hundreds of high schools?”
I was under the assumption that the state of MD is using PARCC Alg I and ELA10 as it’s graduation requirement? I live in HoCo MD and I REFUSED the Alg I for my 7th grader last year hoping that the testing madness would abate. I was thinking about having her “take and tank” this year so that she would be exempt from having to “be proficient”…although she would probably score very well. Opt out hasn’t taken off here in MD and that has been very disappointing. I’m confused. I don’t wish to mess with graduation requirements so can you please clarify?
Lisa, no standardized test should be used as a graduation requirement because it is normed on a bell curve. Every student should have the chance to show that he or she has learned enough to get a diploma, just as every driver should have the chance to get a license.
My 8th-grader is planning to take (and probably tank) the Algebra1 tests in Montgomery County, MD this spring; last year and this year the requirement (or expectation, anyway) was the kids would *take* it, and beginning next year kids will have to PASS it to graduate. Ditto ELA.
But New Jersey is not alone, and as long as we have Andy Smarick & Checker Finn on our state BoE, I don’t see Maryland’s position changing. 😦
I’m prepared to homeschool my kids for their senior years and graduate them myself in order to get out of the rest of any PARCC requirements that exist or new ones that may come into being between now and then. Regardless of what each student *should* have the opportunity to show, THIS is what ours WILL be required to do.
Diane…maybe you could list ALL the states that are now using PARCC & SBAC for graduation requirements since it seems that NJ isn’t the only state?
I looked on Maryland website and I do not see anywhere it says PARCC is required?
High School Graduation requirements can be found here:
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/testing/hsg_qa/index.html
Drilling down I found:
For students graduating 2015-2016 or in the summer 2016, Assessment Graduation requirements vary by their First Time Ninth Grade (FTNG) Cohort assignment due to the elimination and reinstatement of the Gov HSA.
See also… (It looks like PARCC may become a requirement in MD in 16-17, but it is definitely not now.)
http://www.mabe.org/advocacy/state-advocacy/priority-issues/priority-issue-parcc-testing-delay/
PARCC is terminally ill. It’s just a long and slow acting cancer, butt the patient will be dead soon.
The real question is what will John Fallon and Pearson come up with next to fill the void, after all PARCC was a pretty nice revenue stream for Pearson.
The students will be fed instruction via computer modules and continuously assessed.
Ooogh. This is too frighteningly true.
Take the BS test in March/April. Don’t get results until November. Kind of defeats the May/June graduation dates.
Also defeats the purpose of an end-of-year exam, what with March/April being so far removed from, well, the end of the year. LOL
The USDOE has named the people who will help draft regulations on ESSA.
I don’t recognize any of the names- they don’t seem to be the usual roster of “rock star” ed reformers. You-all would know more than me, though, so read the list.
I wonder if the Obama Administration is (now) politically sensitive to the charge that they’ve been completely captured by ed reform “movement” big shots and billionaire funders. This seems like a change in direction, the notable lack of Big Names 🙂
https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-names-committee-members-draft-proposed-regulations-every-student-succeeds-act
No Chiara, they aren’t more sensitive… Just better disguised is all…
https://elfasd.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-essa-negotiated-rulemaking-committee.html
Exactly what Darcie said, Chiara. It’s most definitely the usual reformers and heavily funded by Gates. Even one of the teachers is a Teach Plus fellow. Remember ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson’s public schools’ customers are big business? Well, Exxon’s rep is Kerri Briggs from the Bush administration. Trust me, this is not an unbiased crowd at all.
Chris Cristie, the alleged corrupt governor of New Jersey, endorsed The Great Trump (written with tongue in cheek) > New Jersey is the only state in the nation that mandates passing PARCC as a requirement for a high school diploma
Sorry to post second time but I hope more people read and decide NOT to vote for Trump. And if you vote republican, please vote for any other candidate(even if you disagree with him) just to make Trump LOSE.
‘The guy is Hitler’: Louis C.K. begs fans not to vote for Donald Trump
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/03/05/the-guy-is-hitler-louis-c-k-begs-fans-not-to-vote-for-donald-trump/?tid=pm_pop_b
Ah yes, I can imagine thousands of students singing “Frayed Ends of Sanity”:
“Frayed Ends of Vanity(Sanity)”
[my apology for KIRK HAMMETT, LARS ULRICH, and JAMES HATFIELD of Metallica]
Never candor, in TFA’s chamber
I have fallen prey to failure
Struggle within, triggered again
Now the candle burns at both ends
Twisting under Chriszophrenia
Falling deep into VAMentia
One Newark never disappears, fighting the creed of greed
Growing conspiracy, PARCC’s after me
Frayed ends of vanity, hear them calling
Hear them calling me
Birth of error, death of terror
I’m the slave of fear, my captor
Never warnings, spreading its wings
As I wait for the horror King brings
Loss of interest, question, wonder
Fears DOE is pulling us under
Accountability disappears, falling into the sand of grit
Growing conspiracy, PARCC’s after me
Frayed ends of Vanity, hear them calling
Hear them calling me
Into ruin of charter chains
Hostage of this wasteful spending
Voucher is set free, flooded I’ll be
Feel the undertow inside me
Tests, hell, time, haste, terror, detention
Life, death, poverty, waste, mass depression
One Newark never disappears, fighting the Creed of Greed
Growing conspiracy, PARCC is after me
Frayed ends of Vanity, hear them calling
Frayed ends of Vanity, hear them calling
Hear them calling me