Reply to PARCC Field Test

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]These tests are not the PARCC tests.[/quote]

The tests the PP refers to may not be the PARCC tests, but the teacher's comments mirror many of my concerns as the parent of a GT child with a language learning disability.  I  am concerned about two things.  First, the move to computer based testing and the elimination of paper and pencil tests, while it saves a lot of money and time for the school system, can often be very difficult for LD kids.  My LD child would be able to perform much better if he had a paper booklet test in which he could mark out wrong answers, circle or take notes on written text and do math scratch work next to the actual problem.  These same advantages likely hold true for many kids with ADHD.  And, the whole issue of computer-based testing privileges those higher SES students who are likely to have an advantageous experience with computers at home.

My second concern has to do with the PARCC test items.  I have seen sample PARCC test questions available for public viewing.  In my opinion, these questions really conflate a lot of different skills and getting an item wrong will not necessarily be an indication that a particular skill is lacking.  The comments of the teachers above, particularly with reference to the amount of language involved in the math portion of the exams, is exactly what I thought when I viewed the sample PARCC Q's.

Finally, the comments of the teachers above are good examples of why ANY standardized test needs to be beta tested first in some way.  Any test writer will tell you that the do not fully understand how people read questions and answers and react until they get this kind of feedback on test items.  PARCC does need to be field tested in MCPS, and even though the field testing does not benefit any individual student directly, I hope that parents will allow their kids to participate.  Of course, it would be helpful if MCPS recognized that, in return for a child's participation, they should at least ensure that kids won't be exposed to duplicate testing, miss tests that would otherwise be helpful, miss other classes, etc., and that they should provide parents with all data.  [/quote]

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