CPS Reverses Stance On PARCC, Will Now Test Students System Wide
(CBS) -- The Chicago Public School system is buckling to economic pressure and now plans to give a controversial standardized test system-wide, reports WBBM's Bernie Tafoya.
School officials had said in January the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers exam or PARCC would only be given in 10 percent of the 600+ schools in the system.
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Now with the state threatening to withhold nearly a billion and a half dollars from the Chicago Public Schools if the test isn't given in all schools, CPS has decided to do that.
CPS spokesman Bill McCaffrey said third through eighth graders and some high school students will be taking the test starting next Monday.
The PARCC is meant to be taken on computers over a ten hour plus period.
In a letter to the state board last week, CPS officials expressed concerns about, "significant loss of instructional time', adding "we remain concerned that scheduling technology resources will disrupt class schedules."
The state board issued a response saying, "We are putting CPS on notice that if the district fails to administer the PARCC assessment to 100 percent of its eligible students, ISBE is authorized to withhold all of CPS...funds."
Schools CEO Barbara Byrd Bennett says although she believes giving the PARCC this year is not in the students' best interest, it's money Chicago just can't lose. Yet the technology concerns exist. Of the 230,000 Chicago third through eighth graders taking the test, 90,000 of them will be using paper and pencil.
"For my seventh grader, no, she will not be taking this test," said CPS parent Jenny Bigg.
Children can refuse the test, but because there is no opt-out policy, they must refuse in person, in class.
State Board of Education Superintendent Chris Koch said he's pleased CPS will be moving forward with the test, calling it a matter of equity and fairness. Board of education officials say they believe the PARCC test is the best standardized test to measure students progress.
The Chicago Teachers Union and some parents groups are against the test.
"This has the potential to blow up and be a tremendous failure, because CPS itself has said the district may not be able to handle a proper rollout at this time due to technical issues and frustration among students, teachers and administration over administering the test properly," said CTU President Karen Lewis in a statement. "But instead of understanding those issues, the state and the feds decided to threaten to withhold resources from a district that's one of the most poorly resourced in the nation."
