Don Roach: Parents, Should the RI PARCC Results Scare us?
Don Roach, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™
Don Roach: Parents, Should the RI PARCC Results Scare us?
Here’s the skinny in case you haven’t gotten a chance to take a look at the actual results. Between grades 3 and 10, 35.8 percent of students scored at met or exceed expectations. For math it was 24.8 percent. What this means is that 4 out of 10 of our children are meeting literacy expectations while less then 3 out of 10 are meeting math expectations.
If you’re a taxpayer in the state, we pay a lot of taxes in order to ensure our children are adequately education and less than 40% of our children meet expectations in either literacy or math. It’s crazy to think that we’re doing so poorly with all of the investment into education that we make. What’s more is that it seems as though as kids get older they performed worse on the PARCC assessments.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTYou’re probably thinking that I’m going to start talking about how bad our schools are, about how we need to have more performance based assessments for teachers, or maybe you expect me to talk about how teachers’ unions are more concerned about teachers than they are in educating students. But I’m going to disappoint you today because before we talk about the PARCC assessment, we need to talk about Common Core.
Is Common Core the problem?
Common Core are education standards adopted by most states and many educators and parents are against Common Core for a host of reasons. I’ll give you a story from my own experience with Common Core. Last year, one of my children was in second grade and I was told that one of the items he had to learn about was how to “infer” the perspective of the character within a story. I looked at the Common Core website and found the standard that most resembled what I was hearing from his teacher: Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.
So in second grade, students need to acknowledge differences in points of view of different characters? Second grade?!?! I’ve worked with adults who have problems with acknowledging different points of views. And yet, my second grader is expected to know how to do this?
There’s not a better word for this, but I think it’s crazy this is a standard. Absolutely crazy. Obviously this is just one standard of dozens and dozens throughout each grade and discipline, but how are we to interpret the PARCC results if we can’t be satisfied with the Common Core standards?
That’s the question I’m left with after my short interaction with the standards and looking at the PARCC results. Should we, parents of kids trying to learn, be concerned about the results or should we be more concerned that the standards themselves are not adequate for the various age groups?
I’d like to hear from you, because I just don’t know what to think.
Don Roach is a Young Republican. Please check out his Facebook page and give it a like or leave a comment!
National PARCC Test Results Fall 2015
Arkansas
"2015 PARCC test results for high schoolers illustrate lack of rigor in old Arkansas Benchmark test," wrote the Arkansas Times, following the release of the high school scores on October 8.
On November 12, Arkansas News reported that "results showed that the percentage of students meeting academic expectations ranged from 35 percent on the seventh-grade English language arts test to 17 percent on the eighth-grade math test."
Colorado
"PARCC test delivers underwhelming results for Colorado students," wrote Mark Boyle for The Denver Channel on November 12.
"Moreover, only 3rd grade met the 95 percent participation level that’s required. The participation rate dropped as the age group increases, dropping to 50 percent in 11th grade students.
But the scores cannot be compared to old tests because the new tests measure different concepts and skills and are the first to be aligned to the Colorado Academic Standards, said Interim Commissioner of Education Elliott Asp.
“These scores don’t provide an apples-to-apples comparison to old test scores,” Asp said. “The new tests measure different things – such as where students are in developing the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills outlined in the Colorado Academic Standards. We should all consider these scores as a new baseline from which we will measure the future success of Colorado students."
District of Columbia
"In the new high school PARCC results released today, 27 percent of DC Public Schools (DCPS) students are proficient and on track for college and career in 10th grade English, while 12 percent of DCPS students are proficient and on track for college and career in Geometry," said DC School Department on October 27.
Illinois
"Most Illinois students fall short on new PARCC tests," wrote the Chicago Tribune on September 16.
"In a troubling picture of performance, the vast majority of Illinois students failed to reach the high academic bar on the new state PARCC exams, meaning they weren't on track academically for the next grade level, let alone for college or careers.
Preliminary statewide results from last spring's testing, released for the first time Wednesday, reveal the extent to which students fell short of the key goal of the Common Core movement, to ultimately prepare students for higher education and the world of work."
Louisiana
"Common Core tests: About 1/3 of Louisiana pupils make 'mastery," wrote the Times-Picayune on October 22 of the elementary school grade results
"These was the first and perhaps last year for the tests, which were developed by the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. Months before the scores came out, Louisiana lawmakers decided the state would not use the complete partnership exam in 2016.
The exams tested students on national Common Core education standards, which Louisiana adopted years ago. They were entirely different from the old LEAP and iLEAP that Louisiana used, and were considered much harder. The results released Thursday are the first thorough school-by-school and system-by-system look at how students scored.
Common Core opponents have said low scores would show the national standards aren't working. But [Superintendent John] White has said low Louisiana scores are exactly why the state needs higher standards, although like other proponents, he no longer uses the politically controversial term "Common Core."
Maryland
An editorial in the Baltimore Sun "embraced" the state's low scores.
"PARCC results reveal a sobering truth," wrote the editorial board on October 27. "Low scores are no reason to back away from PARCC. They are reason to embrace it."
"The Maryland State Department of Education released the first results from the state's new, Common Core-aligned standardized tests showing that less than half of Maryland students got passing grades on 10th grade English, Algebra I and Algebra II.
It would be tempting to look at those figures and join the chorus of those arguing that the exams, known as PARCC, are too hard, too time consuming and too distracting from the actual business of teaching and learning in the classroom. But the truth is, they tell us something we need to know, something that has been obscured by years of steadily rising scores on our old tests and seemingly perennial top rankings for Maryland's schools. Disturbing percentages of Maryland's high school graduates are unprepared for college or careers, and that unwelcome distinction falls much more heavily on African-Americans, Hispanics, special education students and English language learners."
Massachusetts
On November 12, GoLocalWorcester reported, "Worcester’s PARCC Scores are In and They Are Awful."
Much of the discussion in Massachusetts Education circles, and especially in Worcester, this past year has been centered about the value of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests. Worcester’s tests results were released with all the districts today.
Statewide, 60 percent met the standard in English and 52 percent in math. In Worcester only 41 percent met the standard in English and a woeful 29 percent for math. In Auburn, 57 percent met the standard for math and 67 percent for English.
Mississippi
"Nearly half of Mississippi high school students' proficiency levels dip on multi-state test," wrote GulfLive on November 5.
"Nearly half of Mississippi high school students met or exceeded expectations in English last year, while about 27 percent did so in algebra I, according to test results released Thursday.
Those are the first findings from Mississippi's only administration of a multi-state test meant to measure achievement under new academic standards.
The results are a big drop from the 2014 state tests, when 83 percent passed the previous Mississippi-only algebra test, with 76 percent rating proficient or advanced. In English, 72 percent of students passed in 2014, with 56 percent were rated proficient or advanced.
The drop was expected, though. State Superintendent Carey Wright said standards on Mississippi's old tests were too low."
New Jersey
"Should N.J. worry about PARCC results? 'Yes and no,' testing expert says," reported NJ.com on October 21.
"New Jersey students who spent multiple days last spring taking the new PARCC exams will not be getting their individual scores until next month.
But the state got its first clue Tuesday on how students did on the controversial test when education officials released New Jersey's statewide results in a lengthy presentation in West Trenton.
The data showed fewer than half of New Jersey students scored high enough in math or English to meet the expectations for their grade levels.
As expected, state officials cautioned PARCC -- short for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers exams -- is new and should not be compared to previous standardized tests in New Jersey, which showed a higher percentage of students were proficient for their grade level."
New Mexico
"PARCC test scores for New Mexico high school students released," wrote KRQE News on October 16. "The initial results show New Mexico High Schoolers are not where they need to be in math or English."
"In algebra two, only about 17 percent of students in the state are proficient. Fewer than one percent exceeded standards.
As for English and language arts, about 45 percent of high school juniors met or exceeded expectations. Only 27 percent of freshman met that mark.
Education Secretary Hanna Skandera says the results can’t be compared to past standardized tests because the tests are completely different."
Ohio
On September 14, Cleveland.com reported, "Ohio's Common Core test results: A little more than 1/3 of kids met standards on PARCC exams."
"A little more than one third of Ohio students met the higher academic standards on the new Common Core tests this year, early results from the PARCC testing coalition show.
Data shared with the state school board moments ago shows that between 35 and 40 percent of kids in most elementary and middle school grades "met expectations" or scored higher on their English and math exams, as set by officials of the 12 states still in PARCC.
The results are higher - more than 50 percent - on some of the high school exams, which were taken this year by a small number of advanced 9th graders."
Rhode Island
Rhode Island's results will be released the week of November 16.
