tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/partnership-for-assessment-of-readiness-for-college-and-careers-parcc-16087/articlesPartnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers PARCC – The Conversation2016-03-01T11:20:46Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/549922016-03-01T11:20:46Z2016-03-01T11:20:46ZHere’s how the method of testing can change student scores<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113274/original/image-20160229-4096-1utqgcx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What's the best tool for taking tests?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/fordschool/24235662425/in/photolist-CVC75H-AZ1oTe-Ctv4Mb-daz5uW-dayrRm-dayqJB-dayvBo-dayqxB-daz8U5-dayoz4-daz69k-daz6pY-daz3iT-daz7HX-daz7jT-daypZ1-daz7Ux-dayq9Q-daza7G-daz6kD-daysUb-daz9hJ-daz8pz-dayvNW-daz9nw-daz83h-daz9uU-daypZg-daysvx-dayu4U-dayprn-daytED-daz8yx-daz8sS-dayspP-daytDN-daysaV-dayvaW-daxM5d-daz9rC-daz7uY-daz4WB-days2C-dayqS5-daz59c-dayqq3-daz7ab-daz8Bm-daz4mB-dazavj">Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Students who recently took the <a href="http://www.parcconline.org/">Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)</a> <a href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/02/03/parcc-scores-lower-on-computer.html">scored lower</a> when they took the test on a computer than when they used paper and pencil. </p>
<p>This might not matter much if the results of these tests played a minimal role. But they do not. Test scores are used for accountability purposes at the federal, state and local level. In some states, test scores play a role in student graduation and the evaluation of teachers and principals. </p>
<p>The question is, does the method of test taking actually influence test results? </p>
<p>I have been researching factors that influence test performance when students write essays. Such essays are written with paper or pencil or on a computer. Based on <a href="https://www.carnegie.org/media/filer_public/37/b8/37b87202-7138-4ff9-90c0-cd6c6f2335bf/ccny_report_2011_informing.pdf">research</a> that I coauthored in 2011, the answer to this question is yes. But there are several caveats.</p>
<p>In contrast to the findings from the PARCC test, we found that students writing on a computer scored higher than students writing with paper and pencil. This finding did not apply to all students, though. Students with little experience using a computer to write had higher scores when writing by hand.</p>
<h2>Computer versus pencil-and-paper tests</h2>
<p>In the last five years, two partnerships of U.S. states funded by the federal program <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-assessment/reports/parcc-year-2.pdf">Race to the Top</a> were tasked with developing assessments for determining if students were on track or ready for college and the world of work. </p>
<p>The consortia <a href="http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-assessment/awards.html">developed</a> computer-based assessments that, among other things, would make scoring easier, sharing results faster and conducting assessments cheaper. Many, but not all states, agreed to use these tests to assess students’ academic progress in multiple grades across the school years.</p>
<p>For tests developed by one of the consortia, <a href="http://www.parcconline.org/">Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)</a>, students <a href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/02/03/parcc-scores-lower-on-computer.html">obtained higher scores</a> in English/language arts on the paper pencil version versus the computer one. </p>
<p>By contrast, I obtained very different results in my review of seven scientific studies of factors that influence test results. Students’ writing performance on computer assessments was <a href="https://www.carnegie.org/media/filer_public/37/b8/37b87202-7138-4ff9-90c0-cd6c6f2335bf/ccny_report_2011_informing.pdf">21 percentile points higher</a> when compared to students who wrote via paper and pencil. </p>
<p>But then, <a href="https://www.carnegie.org/media/filer_public/3c/f5/3cf58727-34f4-4140-a014-723a00ac56f7/ccny_report_2007_writing.pdf">another review</a> I conducted of 18 scientific studies found the same 21 percentile advantage for writing when students used computer for writing in the classroom.</p>
<h2>Computer-based assessments</h2>
<p>So why are there differences between PARCC tests results and the finding from scientific studies I reviewed? A likely explanation involves students’ experience with the method of testing.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113275/original/image-20160229-4110-1g7xiwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113275/original/image-20160229-4110-1g7xiwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113275/original/image-20160229-4110-1g7xiwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113275/original/image-20160229-4110-1g7xiwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113275/original/image-20160229-4110-1g7xiwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113275/original/image-20160229-4110-1g7xiwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113275/original/image-20160229-4110-1g7xiwq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Computers can underestimate writing achievements.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/21218849@N03/7984586335/in/photolist-daz6kD-daysUb-daz9hJ-daz8pz-dayvNW-daz9nw-daz83h-daz9uU-daypZg-daysvx-dayu4U-dayprn-daytED-daz8yx-daz8sS-dayspP-daytDN-daysaV-dayvaW-daxM5d-daz9rC-daz7uY-daz4WB-days2C-dayqS5-daz59c-dayqq3-daz7ab-daz8Bm-daz4mB-dazavj-daz9Yq-daz93Y-daz846-daz9Pj-dayuV7-dayt9Q-daz5iY-dayrjN-dayqKj-dayv27-dayqYL-daz6sg-daz42p-dayo92-dayuCh-daz4fx-daynXB-dayrB7-days1B">Samuel Mann</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.carnegie.org/media/filer_public/37/b8/37b87202-7138-4ff9-90c0-cd6c6f2335bf/ccny_report_2011_informing.pdf">My review of four scientific studies</a> showed that students with little experience using computers as an assessment tool scored 18 percentile points lower than when they composed their essays using paper and pencil.</p>
<p>In other words, a student’s mastery of the method of testing matters. For students with little experience, computer assessments underestimate their writing achievement.</p>
<p>To get a sense of how method of testing can influence writing performance, imagine you are asked to write something for a test using a <a href="http://www.wired.com/2009/02/how-it-works-ch/">Chinese typewriter</a>. This is a very complex writing tool designed to create 6,000 characters. Top typing speeds are 11 characters per minute. </p>
<p>Even if you reach this benchmark, you will have no hope of typing fast enough to get all your thoughts down on paper before some of your ideas slip from memory. If you are not proficient with this typewriter, then the problem is even worse. As you hunt for the next character, your memory is taxed even further, resulting in even more ideas being lost. </p>
<p>As this example illustrates the method of testing can interfere with a students’ performance. If a student is not adequately familiar with the testing tool or it is cumbersome to use, time and energy most be devoted to using it. </p>
<p>This is time and energy that can profitably be devoted to answering test questions. </p>
<h2>Pencil-and-paper assessments</h2>
<p>These kinds of problems are not limited to tests taken on a typewriter or computer, they can occur for paper-and-pencil tests too. </p>
<p>Students handwriting is not always fast enough for them to record all of their ideas before some of them slip from memory. This is a problem even for college students. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233140483_">In a study</a> with University of London undergraduates, handwriting fluency accounted for 40 percent of the variance in their scores on a timed-essay writing test.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113276/original/image-20160229-4076-1mckjm8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113276/original/image-20160229-4076-1mckjm8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113276/original/image-20160229-4076-1mckjm8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113276/original/image-20160229-4076-1mckjm8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113276/original/image-20160229-4076-1mckjm8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113276/original/image-20160229-4076-1mckjm8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113276/original/image-20160229-4076-1mckjm8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Legibility of response can influence results on a pen-and-paper test.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dennissylvesterhurd/4173660840/in/photolist-7mP6XE-e4hhNr-hynumR-hykPXa-hynwXx-azAmBU-isqBd1-bzUTpb-bzUTbw-CL5b6y-CVC75H-AZ1oTe-Ctv4Mb-DBXv-UiQr-daz5uW-dayrRm-dayqJB-dayvBo-dayqxB-DBWu-DBWy-daz8U5-dayoz4-daz69k-daz6pY-daz3iT-daz7HX-daz7jT-daypZ1-daz7Ux-dayq9Q-daza7G-daz6kD-daysUb-daz9hJ-daz8pz-dayvNW-daz9nw-daz83h-daz9uU-daypZg-daysvx-dayu4U-dayprn-daytED-daz8yx-daz8sS-dayspP-daytDN">Dennis S. Hurd</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With paper-and-pencil tests, there is an additional complicating factor. Scores on handwritten tests can be influenced by the legibility of the response. Test responses that are less legible <a href="https://www.carnegie.org/media/filer_public/37/b8/37b87202-7138-4ff9-90c0-cd6c6f2335bf/ccny_report_2011_informing.pdf">can drop</a> scores by 35 percentile points compared to the same response that is written neatly and legibly. </p>
<p>Making the matter even more complicated, a typed paper is scored more harshly than the same handwritten paper. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.carnegie.org/media/filer_public/37/b8/37b87202-7138-4ff9-90c0-cd6c6f2335bf/ccny_report_2011_informing.pdf">In a review</a> of five scientific studies, I found that the score for a typed version of a handwritten text dropped by 18 percentile points. According to teachers involved in these studies, spelling and grammar errors were more visible in typed versus the handwritten version of the same paper. </p>
<p>So, method of testing makes a difference in the following ways: if students are not adept at taking a test on a computer, they score higher on the same paper-and-pencil test. If they are adept with a computer, they score higher on the computer test. Students performance is further moderated by handwriting fluency and legibility on paper-and-pencil tests and the number of spelling and grammar errors on computer tests. </p>
<h2>Why use digital tools</h2>
<p>What testing methods should schools use? Should computer-based assessments be abandoned, in view of recent PARCC results?</p>
<p>In the best of all possible worlds, students should be allowed to use the method of testing they are most proficient with when taking tests. However, this is unlikely to happen as it adds another level of complexity and costs to test taking. So, one alternative for groups like PARCC is to <a href="https://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/LIVINGSTON.pdf">statistically adjust scores</a> to reflect the differences between test taking modes. </p>
<p>Abandoning computer-based tests would be a mistake. These assessments have the potential to move schools from 19th-century writing tools to 21st-century tools. </p>
<p>As high-stakes assessments go increasingly digital, schools will make word processing and other digital composing tools a common staple. Studies have shown that students who use such tools over time <a href="https://www.carnegie.org/media/filer_public/3c/f5/3cf58727-34f4-4140-a014-723a00ac56f7/ccny_report_2007_writing.pdf">become better writers</a> than those who continue to write with paper and pencil. </p>
<p>At the end of the day, testing must produce something positive. Better writing tools in the classroom would be a step in the right direction.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/54992/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steve Graham received funding in the past from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to conduct reviews examining effective writing instruction and assessment. </span></em></p>Do students get better scores on a pen and paper test or on a computer-based test? It all depends on the student’s mastery of the method.Steve Graham, Professor of Leadership and Innovation, Arizona State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/425852015-06-15T10:05:31Z2015-06-15T10:05:31ZTest data misuse reaches absurd levels<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/84742/original/image-20150611-11441-179isgo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There have been some serious fallouts from standardized testing.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/judybaxter/2266590287/in/photolist-4shSjT-m1aKsC-m1aExs-aqJhAx-raW3sT-6F4K57-6Mk4hm-rsguGe-di1LZa-9ZWKZv-htUmhf-htUjsS-htTHho-htV3f8-htUjzW-gxWHEx-gxVFsu-gxWHYD-gxWcUo-gxWcb9-gxVFgC-gxWbtg-gxWHTt-gxWbBT-gxWJbc-gxWbFv-gxWHmX-htVEGX-gxWSth-gxWRRK-gxXoEg-gxXozB-gxXoHx-gxWRwX-5qQvgh-5DM8ej-hykPNx-hymvwQ-hykPvi-hykKM6-hykMoH-hymvV5-hykHnr-hykWM3-hykKHP-hykLMT-hymAs1-hymviU-hynqnD-hynsyT">Judy Baxter</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The promise of the bipartisan <a href="http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml">No Child Left Behind (NCLB) 2001 legislation</a> was, as the name says, that no child would be left behind. A key piece of this legislation is the annual testing of every child from third through eighth grade and then once in high school.</p>
<p>The data from these tests were intended to provide policymakers and educators with evidence to improve educational outcomes for the most disadvantaged students. But instead of promoting equity and social justice, the <a href="http://ocrdata.ed.gov/">data</a> are being used, in some cases, to further punish and disenfranchise the most <a href="http://www.nyclu.org/news/high-stakes-tests-harm-students-and-teachers-undermine-equity-new-yorks-schools">vulnerable students</a>. </p>
<p>As an educational researcher, teacher and mom, I understand the potential as well as the unintended impacts of the annual testing regime. I also know that it doesn’t have to remain this way. We, as a nation, can do better. </p>
<h2>Fallout of standardized testing</h2>
<p>NCLB is a reauthorization of the <a href="http://www.ed.gov/esea">1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act</a>. Many efforts have been made to reauthorize NCLB since 2007, with a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/no-child-left-behind-reauthorization/">big push this spring</a> to get it revised and reauthorized before the fall campaign season. </p>
<p>NCLB’s use of standardized testing has been widely criticized for its inability to improve learning outcomes, especially for the most vulnerable students. It’s not just excessive testing, but an inappropriate use of the results that are now <a href="http://www.fairtest.org/dangerous-consequences-highstakes-standardized-test">threatening</a> the quality of public education.</p>
<p>Professional organizations such as the <a href="http://www.eval.org/p/cm/ld/fid=76">American Evaluation Association</a> and the <a href="http://www.aera.net/AboutAERA/AERARulesPolicies/AERAPolicyStatements/PositionStatementonHighStakesTesting/tabid/11083/Default.aspx">American Educational Research Association (AERA)</a> have put out public statements about how “high stakes” decisions based on test data violate the <a href="http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.weraonline.org/resource/resmgr/a_general/aera.pdf">code of ethics</a> to “do no harm.”</p>
<p>AERA’s statement lists a <a href="http://www.aera.net/AboutAERA/AERARulesPolicies/AERAPolicyStatements/PositionStatementonHighStakesTesting/tabid/11083/Default.aspx">set of conditions</a> under which testing programs need to be implemented: alignment of curriculum with the test items, adequate resources and opportunity to learn, validation of the passing scores and means to address the needs of students with language and learning differences. </p>
<p>In addition, <a href="http://www.aera.net/AboutAERA/AERARulesPolicies/AERAPolicyStatements/PositionStatementonHighStakesTesting/tabid/11083/Default.aspx">AERA has said</a> that test scores should follow a strict ethical code when it comes to evaluations. Much of this is currently missing. </p>
<h2>A range of tests</h2>
<p>Let’s take stock of just how many tests are currently “out there” and what their different purposes are.</p>
<p>For instance, there are NCLB mandated “accountability” tests, such as <a href="http://sbac.portal.airast.org/">Smarter Balanced Assesment (SBAC)</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/another-standardized-test-this-one-called-parcc-but-heres-whats-different-40056">Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)</a>; “diagnostic” tests used by districts to assess students and inform instruction, such as <a href="https://www.nwea.org/">Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEAs)</a>; and course-level tests for high school students, such as <a href="http://readysetgo.state.mn.us/RSG/AP/index.html">Advanced Placements</a> and <a href="http://www.ibo.org/">International Baccalaureate</a>.</p>
<p>There are also college entrance tests, such as <a href="http://www.princetonreview.com/college/sat-act">SAT and ACT</a>. And there is the national sampling for comparison across states – <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/">National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)</a> and, for international evaluations, there is <a href="http://www.oecd.org/pisa/">Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)</a>. </p>
<p>This is all on top of the classroom- and school-level assessments that actually support the daily teaching and learning process between a teacher and a student. </p>
<p>As a result, what has happened is that there is too much testing and not enough learning. </p>
<p>The testing industry that has emerged from this is now a formidable lobby. Over the past five years it has spent over US$20 million to secure the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/03/30/report-big-education-firms-spend-millions-lobbying-for-pro-testing-policies/">$2 billion annual industry of standardized</a> testing in the US.</p>
<h2>Misuse of data</h2>
<p>The data generated from this testing are being used to make critical decisions about students, teachers and schools. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, however, test data have <a href="https://theconversation.com/tests-dont-improve-learning-and-parcc-will-be-no-different-40289">not been used</a> to improve teaching. Instead, data from the NCLB mandated accountability tests are being terribly misused.</p>
<p>There are now several court cases related to the misuse of standardized test scores in <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=OUWOAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA198&lpg=PA198&dq=class+action+suits+on+high+school+graduation+test+requirements&source=bl&ots=G2jtVYo1sz&sig=KFd9n2tLt7W-eRPEbJm_Wu7YTe0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=O8JyVeaQDsffsAWdh4OYCg&ved=0CE0Q6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=class%20action%20suits%20on%20high%20school%20graduation%20test%20requirements&f=false">teacher evaluations and high school completion tests</a>. Teachers’ job positions, careers and salaries are being determined by test scores of students they don’t even teach. </p>
<p>US Secretary of Education <a href="http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/statement-us-secretary-education-arne-duncan-tennessee-making-changes-teacher-licensure-policy">Arne Duncan has pushed</a> for teacher evaluation to be based in part on students’ standardized test scores despite the experiences of <a href="http://addingvalue.wceruw.org/Related%20Bibliography/Articles/Sanders%20%26%20Horn.pdf">Tennessee</a>, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/04/30/houston-teachers-sue-over-controversial-teacher-evaluation-method/">Houston</a> and <a href="http://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment">Florida</a>, where misuse of test data has been seen and challenged in court. </p>
<p>In these states, art and physical education teachers were evaluated on students’ English and math test scores. This error has already led to <a href="http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2015/02/05/teachers-union-sues-use-scores-evaluations/22946247/">lawsuits in Tennessee</a> and in <a href="https://feaweb.org/teachers-file-federal-736-lawsuit">Florida</a>. </p>
<p>Luke Flynt, an Indian River County teacher, in public testimony to the school committee, discussed how absurdly unreasonable these models of testing are. Flynt was a teacher in Florida who received unsatisfactory ratings because the computer model predicted that his students would score above a perfect score.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-I0Z7T0ZVVw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Luke Flynt, an Indian River County teacher, goes on the record.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Similarly, last year, Sheri Lederman, a fourth grade teacher in New York’s Great Neck Public School district, has <a href="http://dianeravitch.net/2015/06/01/good-news-legal-challenge-to-new-york-teacher-evaluations-will-proceed-in-court/">challenged</a> the inappropriateness of her teacher evaluation rating. The case will be heard by the New York Supreme Court. </p>
<p>As it is, teachers are frustrated. Testing has only added to it. <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/half-teachers-leave-job-five-years-heres/">Between 40% and 50% of new teachers</a> are <a href="https://theconversation.com/crisis-in-american-education-as-teacher-morale-hits-an-all-time-low-39226">leaving</a> the profession within five years. This is leading to a <a href="http://all4ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/PathToEquity.pdf">huge loss of social capital</a> and institutional capacity in the highest-need schools, where the rate of teacher exodus is highest. The annual cost of teacher dissatisfaction, expressed in the high turnover, is estimated to be <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/03/30/395322012/the-hidden-costs-of-teacher-turnover">$2.2 billion</a>.</p>
<p>This misuse of data is also one of the reasons behind the <a href="https://theconversation.com/students-are-opting-out-of-testing-how-did-we-get-here-40364">national</a> <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/04/what-happens-when-students-boycott-a-standardized-test/390087/">opt out movement</a>, as parents and teachers say no to testing. </p>
<p>This misuse of data is also driving states to opt out of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). </p>
<p>At least 10 states have already dropped the CCSS, and <a href="http://truthinamericaneducation.com/common-core-state-standards/states-fighting-back-map/">similar legislation is pending</a> in most other states. Several states are “<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/some-states-rebrand-controversial-common-core-education-standards/2014/01/30/a235843e-7ef7-11e3-9556-4a4bf7bcbd84_story.html">rebranding</a>” the standards by having more local input and revising elements of the standards. </p>
<h2>Testing has not worked</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12521">National Academies</a>, the premier source of expert advice on pressing societal challenges, have documented that the current test-based accountability models of incentives and sanctions has not been effective for improving learning or achievement.</p>
<p>They have also called for reformed models of accountability that would consider broader-based measures of progress.</p>
<p>As is evident in these details, the true failure of education, as stated by the <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/217916454/ASA-VAM-Statement-1">American Statistical Association (ASA)</a>, has been in preparing our legislators and educational policymakers in the ethical use of statistics. </p>
<p>In particular, the <a href="http://www.rand.org/topics/value-added-modeling-in-education.html">Value Added Model (VAM)</a>, a complex statistical tool, is being inapproriately used for assessing teachers’ performance. </p>
<p>The ASA has cautioned that these data are not an accurate measure, as standardized test scores are not “causational.” In other words, test results are affected by many factors – not just the teacher. Results need to be interpreted with caution. </p>
<p>And also, for this reason, no high-stakes decisions such as job termination should be made based on the test results. </p>
<p>The basic scientific premise of quality assessment and evaluation is taking multiple measures, using multiple methods, and making use of multiple opportunities for a more accurate representation of anything being studied, particularly something as <a href="https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publications/creating-comprehensive-system-evaluating-and-supporting-effective-teaching.pdf">complex as teaching</a>. </p>
<p>The aspirations of “No Child Left Behind” are essential for our nation’s success. However, the current models based on limited standardized test scores significantly underrepresent the complexity of learning. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/strengthen-evaluation-to-improve-student-learning-says-oecd.htm">Other nations</a> have developed <a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/school/46927511.pdf">models of educational accountability</a> that are aligned with standards, reduce the number of tests, and help ensure equity and improve educational outcomes by <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/synergies-for-better-learning.htm">strengthening teaching and learning</a>. They also cost a lot less.</p>
<p>The question is: do we, as a nation, have the political will to leave behind the illusion of a quick fix from test scores?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/42585/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Flynn Ross does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Art teachers have been evaluated on English test scores. There seems to be no limit to how test data are being used to punish students, teachers and schools.Flynn Ross, Associate Professor of Education, University of Southern MaineLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/402892015-04-22T10:03:29Z2015-04-22T10:03:29ZTests don’t improve learning. And PARCC will be no different<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78823/original/image-20150421-9051-1a1sfd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Are there "better tests"?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&searchterm=standardized%20tests&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=91377575">Test image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>About 15 years ago, <a href="http://www.alfiekohn.org/">education writer Alfie Kohn</a> made an impassioned <a href="http://www.alfiekohn.org/case-standardized-testing/">case against standardized testing</a>. But despite the <a href="http://www.alfiekohn.org/essays-standards-testing/">wealth of evidence</a> supporting his argument, standardized testing has dramatically increased in the last few years. </p>
<p>From being linked only to high school exit exams and school report cards in the 1980s and 1990s, standardized tests are now part of national standards as well as test-based teacher evaluations. </p>
<p>The latest to be added to the list has been developed by the <a href="http://parcc.pearson.com/">Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)</a> that <a href="https://theconversation.com/another-standardized-test-this-one-called-parcc-but-heres-whats-different-40056">claims</a> to assess whether students are ready or not for college and careers.</p>
<p>As a 30-plus years educator who has <a href="https://www.academia.edu/11976160/Testing_capitalism_Perpetuating_privilege_behind_the_masks_of_merit_and_objectivity">examined</a> how high-stakes testing in the US perpetuates privilege, I do not see how this round of testing will be any different. </p>
<p>I believe PARCC, a move toward national standardized tests of college and career readiness, is another attempt to chase <a href="http://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/bitter-lessons-chasing-better-tests">“better tests.”</a> It does not offer anything more to prove that these standardized tests rise above the flaws in testing we have witnessed for decades. </p>
<p>The appeal being made in the case of PARCC is that these tests evaluate the college and career readiness of students. If we recall, similar grand claims were made as part of testing being central to <a href="http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml">No Child Left Behind (NCLB)</a>.</p>
<h2>PARCC items found to be grade inappropriate</h2>
<p>NCLB was driven, at least in part, by promises of closing the achievement gap and bringing greater equity to public education. But that <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-child-left-behind-fails-to-work-miracles-spurs-cheating-38620">promise has not been fulfilled</a>, a fact likely linked to the flaws of standardized tests.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.corestandards.org/">Common Core standards</a> and PARCC tests fit into the same pattern of chasing “better tests” to achieve idealistic goals, the only difference being these tests are national instead of being state-based.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78832/original/image-20150421-9034-10vxw2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/78832/original/image-20150421-9034-10vxw2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78832/original/image-20150421-9034-10vxw2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78832/original/image-20150421-9034-10vxw2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78832/original/image-20150421-9034-10vxw2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78832/original/image-20150421-9034-10vxw2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/78832/original/image-20150421-9034-10vxw2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">At times the questions on tests are not age appropriate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&searchterm=testing&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=85447984">Girl image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>From what we know about PARCC so far, the difficulty with tests is that many of the questions are developmentally inappropriate. For instance, during the implementation of English Language Arts elementary tests in New York, questions were not properly matched to the age group.</p>
<p>Principal of South Side High School in New York State <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/04/19/educators-alarmed-by-some-questions-on-n-y-common-core-tests/">Carol Burris, who was named an outstanding educator, explains:</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>“a passage on the third-grade test from <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/drag-racer%23cart/cleanup#cart/cleanup">‘Drag Racer’</a>…has a grade level of 5.9 and an interest level of ninth - 12th grade.”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Bitter lessons of chasing better tests</h2>
<p>As we know, across the US, high-stakes standardized testing has had many <a href="http://www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?event=cmp.ccc.seitenstruktur.detailseiten&seitentyp=produkt&pk=45883&concordeid=66825">detrimental consequences</a>: students have been denied graduation, children have been <a href="https://radicalscholarship.wordpress.com/2014/02/19/retain-to-impede-when-reading-legislation-fails-again/">retained in third grade</a> teachers have been dismissed and <a href="https://radicalscholarship.wordpress.com/2015/04/11/why-is-some-test-cheating-wrong-but-miracle-school-lies-are-ok/">convicted of cheating</a>.</p>
<p>Despite the grand claims about the tests, there is a growing <a href="http://www.fairtest.org/get-involved/opting-out">opt-out</a> movement. In addition, there have been technology failures during testing, controversies over the assessment services company <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/debate-over-test-security-vs-student-privacy-rages-in-the-age-of-social-media/2015/03/23/bbac030a-cf0c-11e4-a2a7-9517a3a70506_story.html">Pearson “spying” on students</a> and concerns about student data security. </p>
<p>However, in the wake of the <a href="http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/education_law/2015/04/eleven-atlanta-public-school-defendants-convicted-of-racketeering-in-standardized-test-cheating-tria.html">cheating scandal and conviction of teachers in Atlanta</a>, Angelika Pohl, founder and president of the Atlanta-based <a href="http://bettertesting.com/about_us">Better Testing & Evaluations</a>, <a href="http://getschooled.blog.ajc.com/2015/04/15/with-teachers-going-to-jail-weve-raised-stakes-in-testing-but-we-havent-raised-quality/">remains convinced</a> that the problem is not with the tests themselves but with the inability to create “better tests”: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Tests are not inherently bad. It is quite possible to write test questions and answer choices that most people would agree are fair measures of what a student has learned. It is possible to write questions that do not have any of the flaws mentioned nor other flaws. But it costs money. And expertise.”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Tests don’t lead to better performance</h2>
<p>Instead of chasing “better tests,” we must admit standardized tests are flawed mechanisms for creating equity.</p>
<p>Evidence suggests that neither Common Core nor the related high-stakes “next generation” tests (such as those developed by PARCC) will achieve that ever-elusive goal of “better tests.”</p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12521">2011 comprehensive review of the accountability movement</a> built on standards and high-stakes testing has shown the degree to which testing has negatively affected student graduation rates, an <a href="http://www.blackboysreport.org/2015-black-boys-report.pdf">important indicator of equity</a>.</p>
<p>In addition, testing has often had a greater <em>and</em> negative impact on learning than curriculum or standards. Managing director of the <a href="http://nepc.colorado.edu/">National Education Policy Center</a>, <a href="http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/pb-options-2-commcore-final.pdf">William Mathis</a> has shown that high-stakes testing “resulted in the ‘dumbing down’ and narrowing of the curriculum.” </p>
<p>Nothing about these “next generation” of tests suggests they will be any more effective than state-based accountability systems introduced almost 30 years ago, since the format and grading of these tests remain essentially the same. </p>
<p>In fact, continuing to depend on standardized testing will neither increase student achievement nor achieve equity goals. </p>
<h2>Many factors go into test scores</h2>
<p>That tests do not create equity, but do reflect inequity, is also clear from the example of college entrance exams such as the SAT.</p>
<p>Results of standardized tests directly reflect students’ socio-economic status and their parents’ level of education. As data from <a href="http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/TotalGroup-2012.pdf">the SAT</a> show, student scores increase directly in line with parental wealth and education, thus misrepresenting college-preparedness, which is <a href="https://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/Validity_of_the_SAT_for_Predicting_First_Year_College_Grade_Point_Average.pdf">better represented</a> by simple GPA.</p>
<p>Standardized tests <a href="http://www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/teachers-matter-so-do-words">reflect</a> more out-of-school than in-school influences. Standardized test scores are also biased by <a href="http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/%7Elds/pdfs/spelke2005.pdf">gender</a> and <a href="https://bearcenter.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/Wilson%20%2322.pdf">race</a>, with whites and males scoring higher. However, test data are misinterpreted as exclusively student achievement.</p>
<p>In short, from the SAT and ACT to PARCC, I would argue, <a href="http://www.fairtest.org/sites/default/files/racial_justice_and_testing_12-10.pdf">high-stakes tests perpetuate and even create inequity</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Struggle-American-Curriculum-1893-1958/dp/0415948916">Education historian Herb Kliebard</a> explains that US formal education embraced standardized testing in the early 20th century mostly because those tests were inexpensive and easy to implement. </p>
<p>In the process, a system has been set up that tolerates the <a href="http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/28_03/edit2283.shtml">many and more corrosive consequences of those tests</a>.</p>
<p>We currently have no evidence, however, that PARCC has solved these historical and lingering problems with the inherently flawed and limited system of standardized testing.</p>
<p>Using standardized tests such as PARCC for high-stakes decisions about individual students or teachers will only continue to fail students and not achieve goals of social and educational equity.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/40289/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Thomas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As the debate over standardized tests continues, a scholar questions the introduction of a new college readiness test, PARCC and gives reasons why it will be no different.Paul Thomas, Associate Professor of Education, Furman UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/400562015-04-15T10:17:21Z2015-04-15T10:17:21ZAnother standardized test – this one called PARCC! But, here’s what’s different<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/77819/original/image-20150413-24290-1al6bwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">PARCC could improve learning through personalized instruction.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&searchterm=testing%20school&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=79404877">Pencil image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Like many 10 year olds, my daughter Zoe was anxious before taking her standardized test. </p>
<p>Zoe is also competitive and wants to score well on all tests. We talked. This exam, I explained, is not about her. </p>
<p>Zoe was taking the test called the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers <a href="http://parcc.pearson.com/">PARCC</a>, which is the newest way to assess how well the school is preparing students like Zoe with critical literacy and numeracy skills. </p>
<p>It also helps provide information to teachers about what part of students’ academic work needs more attention and to personalize their instruction. </p>
<p>As a parent, it provides me helpful information as well. Zoe wants to be a wildlife zoologist. While it might change tomorrow, I want to know whether Zoe’s literacy and numeracy skills will enable her to complete the college degree she needs to pursue a science career. </p>
<h2>PARCC could help with college readiness</h2>
<p>PARCC is one of <a href="http://blog.wowzers.com/what-is-the-big-difference-between-parcc-and-smarter-balanced">two new national standardized tests</a> that most states are choosing to adopt to improve literacy and math skills. </p>
<p>As an educator and a parent, I am aware of the backlash to PARCC and standardized testing in general. But, I believe with modifications and more state control over the process, there are significant reasons to adopt and invest in PARCC testing.</p>
<p>As a co-founder of the <a href="http://sites.bu.edu/miccr/">Massachusetts Institute for College and Career Readiness</a> and a researcher investigating the role of <a href="http://www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp">personalized career and education plans on academic outcomes</a>, I have spent over 15 years, primarily in urban schools, investigating ways to improve students’ college and career readiness skills. </p>
<p>When it comes to standardized testing, I have witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly effects of <a href="http://febp.newamerica.net/background-analysis/no-child-left-behind-overview">No Child Left Behind</a>. </p>
<p>In principle, PARCC should help youth know whether they are developing the skills needed to enter and succeed in a two or four-year certification or a degree program. Successful college graduates earn higher wages which supports the tax base and home ownership. </p>
<p>I believe PARCC could contribute both towards, “good dollars” and “make sense.” Here are some of my reasons.</p>
<h2>Why support PARCC</h2>
<p>My first reason is because PARCC will provide the data that teachers could use effectively to modify teaching and meet individual student’s learning needs.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications/the-region/interview-with-raj-chetty">Economist Raj Chetty</a> found that when fourth grade children have high-quality teachers, they are more likely to enter college and get higher paying jobs. </p>
<p>What is more, Chetty also estimates tremendous benefits to future life outcomes for children if we devote resources to bringing the lowest performing teachers up to acceptable standards.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/77823/original/image-20150413-24290-1wmb5nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/77823/original/image-20150413-24290-1wmb5nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77823/original/image-20150413-24290-1wmb5nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77823/original/image-20150413-24290-1wmb5nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77823/original/image-20150413-24290-1wmb5nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77823/original/image-20150413-24290-1wmb5nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77823/original/image-20150413-24290-1wmb5nx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">PARCC could help improve teaching.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&search_tracking_id=d4gKm1RfLzN6rjFdFDJ2Sg&searchterm=testing%20teacher&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=114440707">Teacher image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With modified teaching, students can show test score gains in subsequent testing. The important thing here is not to use test scores as a way to attack teachers and close schools, but improve the practice of teaching. </p>
<p>As a homeowner, knowing that my local schools are offering high-quality instruction provides me with a sense of comfort that my property tax dollars are being used effectively. </p>
<p>Improving standardized test scores is also an important part of the <a href="http://www.achieve.org/accountability">“college and career readiness” </a>agenda. Current college graduation rates are <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=40">falling</a> way below expectations. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.doe.mass.edu/apa/dart/">open data system</a> of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shows on average only 50% of the students in our suburban, higher-income communities complete a two or four-year college degree. </p>
<p>For many families, this translates to a situation of an increased student debt, but without the necessary degree that would help find a high-paying job to pay it off. </p>
<p>As a homeowner, this does not provide me with comfort. </p>
<h2>US lagging on international academic indicators</h2>
<p>So, my second reason for embracing PARCC is the wide academic skills gap found between states that have historically been able to set their own academic standards. PARCC assumes that developing literacy and numeracy skills should be the same for all 50 states. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/">National Assessment of Educational Performance (NAEP)</a> demonstrates wide disparity in test scores between states. The results further show that only Massachusetts and Connecticut have NAEP scores that compare favorably with other high-performing economies.</p>
<p>Business leaders want to start companies in countries and communities with high-skilled workers. NAEP scores and college completion rates offer companies an indication of how many adults possess the skills needed to support their industry needs. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/77822/original/image-20150413-24325-t1ri2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/77822/original/image-20150413-24325-t1ri2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77822/original/image-20150413-24325-t1ri2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77822/original/image-20150413-24325-t1ri2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77822/original/image-20150413-24325-t1ri2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77822/original/image-20150413-24325-t1ri2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/77822/original/image-20150413-24325-t1ri2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">US test scores fall below other leading economies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&searchterm=testing%20school&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=200191556">Girl image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>However, business leaders in Massachusetts are <a href="http://www.mbae.org/new-report-offers-a-vision-for-education-in-the-next-20-years/">concerned</a> that PARCC does not set the learning bar high enough. Our highest performing students are not performing as well on NAEP as the top performing students in other leading countries. </p>
<p>And, while Massachusetts still has NAEP scores that are higher than countries like Germany, the rate of increase in their scores over the past few testing cycles indicates that they will likely surpass Massachusetts in the near future.</p>
<p>From the perspective of business leaders in Massachusetts, in order to continue attracting new venture capital for biotechnology and other technology supported manufacturing businesses, it is critical that Massachusetts demonstrate that there is a talented workforce available. </p>
<h2>Many kids are placed in remedial courses</h2>
<p>A third reason to invest in PARCC is to reduce the number of students needing to take <a href="http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-remedial-classes.htm">“remedial”</a> courses in college. If the test is effective, students who do well on PARCC should do well on SAT/ACT exams and college placement tests, thereby reducing the number of students completing remedial courses.</p>
<p>In their annual <a href="http://renniecenter.org/research/COE2015ActionGuide.pdf">Condition of Education in the Commonwealth report</a>, the <a href="http://www.renniecenter.org/">Rennie Center on Education Research and Policy</a> reports that 35% of high school graduates entering college were placed in remedial courses. </p>
<p>Even though many students pass their high school classes, more often than not they do not possess the skills needed to pass college entrance assessments like the <a href="https://accuplacer.collegeboard.org/students">Accuplacer</a>, that test knowledge of math, reading and writing. </p>
<p>This not only costs tax-payers who pay for the additional college instructors but seriously impacts student’s likelihood of completing college.</p>
<p>Imagine a two or four-year degree as a mountain that students need to climb to receive their degree. And the number of remedial classes as the size of the hole they need to dig themselves out of before they can begin the climb. </p>
<p>As a homeowner, the number of remedial courses offered in college is a problem because it indicates that the tax dollars that were used to support my local high school did not prepare students with the skills needed to take college level classes. </p>
<p>As a parent of a college student, this means I am paying three times for the same set of literacy and numeracy skills - once through my property tax dollars to support my local schools, once through state-generated tax dollars supporting our public colleges and once through tuition dollars (ie, parent loans) to complete the remedial courses. </p>
<p>This is not comforting.</p>
<p>I do have one last reason for embracing PARCC that is completely selfish. This is the letter Zoe left for me when I returned home after her first day of PARCC:</p>
<p><em>Dear Popi:</em></p>
<p><em>Thank you for helping me not stress tooooo much about the PARCC test. I would have failed without you. And it’s not just the PARCC test, whenever there is a big test you help me not stress too much. You are the best Popi ever. You make the best waffles and best coffee cake and cinnamon rolls. That’s not the point. The point is I love you soooo much.</em></p>
<p><em>PARCC is not the biggest test my daughter will face in her lifetime. I can only hope that she rises to those tests they way she has for PARCC. And that is a comforting thought, though not as much as receiving her wonderful note.</em></p>
<p><em>Love you toooo Zoe.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/40056/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>V Scott Solberg serves as coPI for the Massachusetts Institute for College and Career Readiness which is supported by a cooperative agreement from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (PR/ Award #: R305B140043) to Boston University and receives research funding from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) through its cooperative agreements with the Institute for Educational Leadership’s (IEL) National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) (Cooperative Agreement Numbers OD-16519-07-75-4-11 and OD-23804-12-75-4-11). He is affiliated with the Society for Vocational Psychology, a section of Counseling Psychology in the American Psychological Association and the National Career Development Association.</span></em></p>As senators begin revising No Child Left Behind, a new standardized test, PARCC, is being adopted by states to help prepare students enter college.V Scott Solberg, Associate Dean for Research, Boston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.