Nov. 21--Chicago Public Schools officials and a high-powered group of suburban educators are pleading with state officials to put the brakes on a tough new standardized test that Illinois students are scheduled to take this spring. Some schools say they don't have the technical wherewithal to administer the test online. They also argue that the test, known as PARCC, will cause "a veritable season of test taking at the expense of instruction."
What is this big, bad PARCC? It's the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. It replaces the now-abandoned ISAT for elementary students and the Prairie State exam for high school juniors. The stakes are high: Illinois' annual schools report card, which measures the performance of more than 1 million schoolchildren, will be tied to PARCC.
Some students worry that their scores will suffer because PARCC, based on the rigorous Common Core state academic standards, will be tougher than the ISAT. The new test is also likely to be tougher than the college-readiness ACT exam. Instead of the typical multiple-choice exam that relies heavily on memorization, PARCC requires more critical thinking and problem solving.
Some school administrators worry about the time needed for preparation and how student performance will reflect on their school's ranking and their performance evaluations.
Some teachers worry that their performance evaluations will plummet because those evaluations are linked to student growth, measured in part by standardized test scores.
Some parents worry that their students are already too stressed by tests. They're threatening to withdraw their children from taking PARCC.
Illinois state schools Superintendent Christopher Koch says federal law requires the state to give the test. If student participation falls below 95 percent, the state could lose some federal funding.
The state shouldn't delay this assessment.
PARCC will tell teachers and parents whether students have mastered the state's learning standards for English and math. This test is key to helping teachers craft lesson plans for students who are lagging.
We've heard the complaint from students, teachers and parents that frequent standardized testing has become a distraction from learning. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a blog posting earlier this year: "I believe testing issues today are sucking the oxygen out of the room in a lot of schools."
As a result, some districts, including Chicago, have reduced the number of tests that students take.
Some suburban school superintendents have urged a delay in PARCC, but others tell us they're ready. They say educators have long sought a tougher test and shouldn't retreat now because there may be logistical difficulties. Some schools are making room for this by canceling other exams.
PARCC and Common Core are controversial changes in American education, but these changes haven't been sprung suddenly on administrators and teachers. Illinois schools have had four years to get ready. Will there be logistical hurdles? Bet on it. State education officials say they'll help districts overcome those hurdles.
Through PARCC, we'll start to learn about how prepared Illinois students are compared with their peers around the nation. For the first time, educators will be able to compare Illinois' student performance with students in 11 other states, including powerhouse Massachusetts.
Illinois has a sorry track record of dumbing down tests and lowering cut scores to inflate results and give a false impression of student progress. Only 1 in 4 Illinois students are fully ready for college, according to the college testing service ACT. The state says its higher, but still a bit below half. PARCC is supposed to be a bracing splash of reality for a state educational system that doesn't much care for such things.
Delaying PARCC will invite pressure to scrap the test -- and the Common Core standards -- before they get a chance to have an impact.
The curriculum is rolling out. So should the test designed to gauge students' progress on the new standards.
