Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid scored in the 99th percentile across the city and was the only one to get fives in his school. I still think it's a terrible test. Most of his smart, accomplished classmates didn't even get "on grade level" (4s) which they clearly are. It's a flawed test.

Not a fan of PARCC (way too long, results not immediate and so not pedagogically useful), but it doesn't test how smart or accomplished a kid is. It attempts to test whether they have learned a set of agreed upon concept and skills for that grade level (common core). If you school isn't teaching this common core or if students at your school aren't learning it, that's a problem for the school and for the kids. Perhaps the PARCC doesn't test it well and the kids are learning it at your school? But then why do kids in JKLM do so well when their schools that do absolutely NO test prep?

Our JKLM teaches the required curriculum.

Same. But no test prep at all.

The first time my oldest saw the PARCC was when he took it. Not even a practice test. Eureka math is not by Pearsons so does no explicit or implicit test prep.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid scored in the 99th percentile across the city and was the only one to get fives in his school. I still think it's a terrible test. Most of his smart, accomplished classmates didn't even get "on grade level" (4s) which they clearly are. It's a flawed test.

Not a fan of PARCC (way too long, results not immediate and so not pedagogically useful), but it doesn't test how smart or accomplished a kid is. It attempts to test whether they have learned a set of agreed upon concept and skills for that grade level (common core). If you school isn't teaching this common core or if students at your school aren't learning it, that's a problem for the school and for the kids. Perhaps the PARCC doesn't test it well and the kids are learning it at your school? But then why do kids in JKLM do so well when their schools that do absolutely NO test prep?

Our JKLM teaches the required curriculum.

Same. But no test prep at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid scored in the 99th percentile across the city and was the only one to get fives in his school. I still think it's a terrible test. Most of his smart, accomplished classmates didn't even get "on grade level" (4s) which they clearly are. It's a flawed test.

Not a fan of PARCC (way too long, results not immediate and so not pedagogically useful), but it doesn't test how smart or accomplished a kid is. It attempts to test whether they have learned a set of agreed upon concept and skills for that grade level (common core). If you school isn't teaching this common core or if students at your school aren't learning it, that's a problem for the school and for the kids. Perhaps the PARCC doesn't test it well and the kids are learning it at your school? But then why do kids in JKLM do so well when their schools that do absolutely NO test prep?

Our JKLM teaches the required curriculum.

Anonymous wrote:My kid scored in the 99th percentile across the city and was the only one to get fives in his school. I still think it's a terrible test. Most of his smart, accomplished classmates didn't even get "on grade level" (4s) which they clearly are. It's a flawed test.

It sounds like your school isn't teaching the grade-level material. The PARCC isn't rocket science. Reasonably smart kids who are being taught what they should be will score at least a 4. I'd actually be very concerned (regarding the school) if your child's smart friends weren't scoring on grade level.

Anonymous wrote:My kid scored in the 99th percentile across the city and was the only one to get fives in his school. I still think it's a terrible test. Most of his smart, accomplished classmates didn't even get "on grade level" (4s) which they clearly are. It's a flawed test.

Not a fan of PARCC (way too long, results not immediate and so not pedagogically useful), but it doesn't test how smart or accomplished a kid is. It attempts to test whether they have learned a set of agreed upon concept and skills for that grade level (common core). If you school isn't teaching this common core or if students at your school aren't learning it, that's a problem for the school and for the kids. Perhaps the PARCC doesn't test it well and the kids are learning it at your school? But then why do kids in JKLM do so well when their schools that do absolutely NO test prep?

Your student can easily apply to DC public application high school without PARCC scores and be admitted.

We have a neighbor whose child went from St Peter MS on Capitol Hill to Walls. Another neighbor whose kid went from Sidwell Friends MS to Banneker. Neither student had PARCC scores to submit. I'm told that the kids submitted PSAT or SAT scores in lieu of PARCC scores.

I hate that our application high schools rely on it so heavily for admissions. Score a 749 instead of a 750 and you’re screwed.

Whoa. I think it was an anti-PARCC parent upthread who called other parents ignorant and that superior attitude pervades similar posts.

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why you wouldn't want your kid to take the test. Life is a series of taking tests. The PARCC doesn't affect thier grade or whether they move on. They may as well establish a baseline and measure how they stack up in certain subjects vs. their cohorts. Also, get them used to taking tests -- they'll be doing it their whole lives. You can hate the test, but its the SAME text being given city-wide. Or you can keep them home watching Spongebob.... your choice .

I don't know why you don't simply revel in your enthusiasm for the PARCC, leaving better-informed parents who don't share it alone. My state dropped the lousy 10-hour test six years ago, in favor of a four-hour state test in the wake of substantial resistance to PARCC from parents state-wide (nearly 20 percent of 3rd-8th grade students were being opted out).

The week we opted out of PARCC this year, we focused on learning about a fine arts topic of my child's choosing - Impressionist Art. We visited the National Gallery several times during testing blocks, returning to school in the afternoon.

Exactly, helping explain why two dozen states have dropped PARCC in the last decade, or gone with a hybrid-state version. Only DC clings to the pure PARCC. With so many low SES kids and so many high SES parents who cooperate with PARCC testing to avoid rocking the boat, OSSE is under no pressure to drop PARCC.

I'd love to see DC go with the Smarter Balanced Common Core linked test instead. That test is shorter than PARCC, well-crafted and serves advanced learners much better.

My kid scored in the 99th percentile across the city and was the only one to get fives in his school. I still think it's a terrible test. Most of his smart, accomplished classmates didn't even get "on grade level" (4s) which they clearly are. It's a flawed test.

Anonymous wrote:What school gets the score when a child is promoted out of a grade? I have one new middle schooler and one new high schooler, should I be looking out for results being sent by the former schools or the new schools? All schools are DCPS.

School where they took the test will send.

What school gets the score when a child is promoted out of a grade? I have one new middle schooler and one new high schooler, should I be looking out for results being sent by the former schools or the new schools? All schools are DCPS.

I don't know why you wouldn't want your kid to take the test. Life is a series of taking tests. The PARCC doesn't affect thier grade or whether they move on. They may as well establish a baseline and measure how they stack up in certain subjects vs. their cohorts. Also, get them used to taking tests -- they'll be doing it their whole lives. You can hate the test, but its the SAME text being given city-wide. Or you can keep them home watching Spongebob.... your choice .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Congratulations for bragging about this to anonymous people on the internet.

I cannot imagine a parent bragging that their kid is average in English relative to a group of children that includes non native speakers. Even a 5 in math doesn't say much.

It says how your kid performed on the test compared to other kids of the same age, in the same school, and across the city. That's a lot. If your kid performs in the top 10 percent of 3rd graders across the city, that's pretty good.