How Bad is Bad?: PARCC Testing in RI (For 10/4/17)

Back when I was taking SED-406, I remember my co-teaching professors vaguely talking about PARCC. My class got a basic overview, but because both were directly impacted by MCAS as Massachusett teachers, I kind of forgot out PARCC as the semesters went on. However, reading this research from my very own professors has opened my eyes to a new level of bad that standardized testing has hit. Considering that I am on the brink of stepping into this world of education as a teacher, I am beyond baffled at what kinds of wreckage I will be walking into regarding the aftermath of this exam. The following are two of the "baddest bits" that I can't stop talking about when anyone asks me about how school is going.
First of all, what? Just, what? Grade 3 students being forced to complete a written portion of the exam on keyboards only regardless of their access or exposure to technology? That is ridiculous! Having been a student who was privileged with a fully equip computer lab in grade school (and internet at home), even I still would have had trouble with this test because I typed like a turtle! I can only imagine how much PARCC was a living nightmare for students who lack access to technology or who's first language is anything other than English, and that's just the beginning of the list of complications for these mandated perameters.
The other finding of this research that really got me going was the crossing of ethical boundaries that PARCC forced with educators. Teachers being pressured to LIE to parents/guardians and students about opting out of the test is so terrible, I feel like I need to read a thesaurus to find a better descriptor for this phenomenon. If I were teaching while all of this was happening, I honestly don't know what I would have done. So kudos to that teacher mentioned who stood up for what was right and unfortunately got suspended for it. I can only hope that I make a strong enough impact on my students for them to have my back like these ones did for their teacher.
Going forward, I am certainly going to keep my eyes wide open about standards regardless of how much they still intimidate me sometimes. I want to know the ins and outs so that I can stand up when there are cruel and unusual expectations set for myself, my students, and my school. In addition to that, I am curious about the insider experiences my professors had while conducting this research!

Comments

  1. Dustin SnyderOctober 4, 2017 at 11:39 AM

    Janine, I agree with you about having such a visceral and adverse reaction to reading the statistics and specific situations that arose from the mandated testing. It is definitely intimidating to think about how local, state, or federal mandates could potentially inhibit our ability to be effective teachers. It seems like it should be common sense that before these things are put in place that they be proven effective, but it seems like those who have power disregard so much research and sometimes even basic common sense. Taking third-graders who are technologically illiterate and in in some cases English illiterate, and subjecting them to a typed written test doesn't seem logical whatsoever to me. Moving forward, I hope administrators are more open to research and solutions.

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