With
the recent release of PARCC test scores in Colorado, there was bound to be
discussion about the validity of results. For a test in its first year with no
data backing authenticity of the scores, and in a state where a considerable
number of parents refused to allow testing of their children, the scores were
already of dubious value.
Thus,
I was disappointed by the Denver
Post’s recent editorial statement that “Parents should accept that
PARCC is here to stay and is necessary to help guide education efforts and
accountability.” This seems to run contrary to conventional wisdom in education
circles which have seen PARCC lose ground in the state of Massachusetts and New
York consider a rewrite of Common Core. PARCC is losing ground fast, and many
people expect it to fold. According
to Chalkbeat, CDE head Eliot Asp recently told school boards in
Colorado Springs “there’s not enough time to switch to a new test,” and state
board chair Steve Durham said, “The odds of continuing with that particular
assessment are slim” beyond next year. “But I have only one vote.” A majority
of the board is on record as opposing PARCC. Clearly, a shift from PARCC
appears to be coming.
In
reality, there is significant and reasonable distrust of PARCC’s authenticity,
and the legislature has already confirmed a parent’s right to refuse testing
for their children. Thus, declaring that parents should simply accept it is
hardly going to make that happen. In fact, the opposite is probably true until
the people promoting changes in education convince parents that the changes are
in the best interest of their children. Parents are going to advocate for their
children and their schools regardless of what the state or the media or
corporate education reformers like Bill Gates or David Coleman tell them they
should do.
PARCC
is the problem, and many parents, educators, and legislators who have
scrutinized the test have determined it does not meet the needs of the
education community. As I've noted, PARCC scores in Illinois indicated “zero
percent” of high school students were advanced – a conclusion that is patently
absurd in one of the country's most populous states with some of its top high
schools. The same is true for Colorado results that indicated only 18% of 8th
grade students are proficient in math. It’s a flawed assessment that will
fold for good reason. But that doesn’t mean that parents and critics are
opposed to all testing or accountability or measurement. Case in point: many
schools in the metro area gave the ACT-Aspire test this fall, and there was no
opt-out movement. Similarly, in the past year Colorado students have willingly
taken MAPS and CoGAT and the PSAT and the ACT and AP exams without hesitation.
Thus, it’s clear that parents are interested in standardized tests as a
diagnostic for learning, and they will commit to tests they trust.
Now
that the ESSA has replaced NCLB, and decision-making on school accountability
has returned to the states (albeit with maintaining an emphasis on yearly
testing), Colorado schools and parents have an opportunity to craft a more
authentic and meaningful system of assessment. Diagnostics are valid and
appreciated – a test-and-punish system that seeks to myopically focus all
accountability and measurement of “success” on a single test score are not.
Going forward, those seeking progress in public education need to look more
deeply into the issue of student achievement and testing and not simply
consider the issue resolved.
Because
it’s not.
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