Crushing Common Core in New Jersey

ESSEX COUNTY — Facing a contingent of concerned parents, a growing number of school districts across the state are moving to create official opt-out policies for students who will not be taking the PARCC exam, a new state test that will be administered for the first time next month.

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test, which is based on the Common Core education standards and is administered entirely on computers, has sparked harsh criticisms from some skeptical parents and teachers. The complaints have led to an "opt-out" movement across the state, in which parents are choosing to not allow their children to take the exam...

The NJ Department of Education has created a fantastic mess over the past few weeks. In an effort to save Common Core and the PARCC assessment, the NJ DOE has left it up to each individual school district (probably about 300 in all) to decide how PARCC refusers will be accommodated. Some school districts have adopted policies that allow non-testing students to sit in the library and read a book. Other districts are insisting that non-testing students sit in front of a blank computer screen in the same classroom as testing students, which is called "sit and stare", and it is not acceptable. A few districts are even making 8 year old kids verbally refuse the PARCC each day (for two weeks) even though the parents have already said the kid is not allowed to take the PARCC.

The Pearson test manual says that no non-testers are allowed in the same room as students taking the test. So, basically, the NJ DOE is invalidating the PARCC for everyone because none of the test conditions are uniform. Not that invalidating the PARCC is a problem with me.

A lot of humor to be found in that article. I especially enjoyed the following:

Rutzky said he is not concerned about the number of students who will not be taking the exam next month.

“It’s a very small group,” he said. “The majority (of students) are looking forward to taking it.”

Students looking forward to taking a test????? Maybe in an alternate universe .....

Famous last words, It’s a very small group.” The Jersey ‘burbs are just now starting to get angry. I live in Monmouth County, which is mostly Republican. The locals are starting to figure out the state Dept. of Education is dictating the curriculum to the schools they are all so proud of because bad things like that only happen in Camden or Newark.

Yes. It’s said so as to marginalize the opposition. And funny...cuz libs always claim everyone should have a voice. But they lie lie lie....and believe themselves enlightened. Idiots full of pride. The way to defeat them is to go around them. Spend you time ane energy educating your kids instead of sparring with the ignoramus and utterly self-full tyrants....and thier appointed useful idiots almong the teachers and parents...who love to moo in concert with the change agents.

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