Every year during the month of May there is that one week of the year designated for PARCC and HSA testing. It is now the biggest testing week after MCPS got rid of exams. This week is usually the week where most students get to sleep in until the afternoon. Other than giving students sleep, what else do these tests accomplish?
As a sophomore this year I had to take four tests throughout the four days of testing. The classes relating to PARCC and HSA’s usually apply to sophomores such as two days for English 10 PARCC. This is four whole days for sophomores where we could be using this time in a more efficient way. An example of what we could do without this week would be another week of summer or more time to teach the curriculum. I found both the HSA and PARCC tests to be a waste of time.
According to the PARCC website, “It provides better information for teachers and parents to identify where a student needs help, or is excelling, so they are enable to enhance instruction to meet individual student needs.”
I do not believe this to be true as no teachers or parents use the PARCC test to see what students need to do better. “I have never seen any feedback from any of my teachers for a PARCC test that I have taken,” sophomore Jaiden Shaw said.
Another reason given for the PARCC test is as a rating system for each school. If the only point of PARCC testing is to rate schools than this is a waste. There are better ways to compare schools. PARCC testing might not even serve as a correct rating system as many students don’t try their hardest on the test. “I did not try on the PARRC because I did not see any good reason for why we should,” sophomore Jared Rabin said.
HSA’s are the other standardized test the students take. In order to graduate students will need to pass the HSA with a grade of 50 percent or more. This would be a good explanation for taking the HSA except for the fact that almost everyone passes. According to teachers in this school almost all the students have no time passing the HSA’s throughout all the subjects. Everyone passes the HSA’s so, there is no more need for students to take it anyway.
Even if some students do fail an HSA test, which is unlikely, they can take the test. Not only as many times as they can until they pass. This is another reason not to take a test which you will ultimately end up having the same result because, if students wanted too they could repeatedly take it until they do not fail. Both PARCC and HSA are time wasting, irrelevant and meaningless assessments.
Jonnie Voyta
News Editor
