Controversial NJ PARCC Exam Results Released
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New Jersey's Department of Education released scores from the state's PARCC exam, a computer-based assessment test that has caused controversy among parents, at a special event held in Trenton on Tuesday.
Numbers for the PARCC exam -- short for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers -- show that students in Grade 3 to Grade 11 at least met or exceeded expectations. Younger students performed better than older students overall, CBS2's Christine Sloan reported.
Forty-four percent of 11th-graders were deemed college-ready.
In English, 46 percent of students met expectations, while 35 percent met the criteria in Math.
"The scores will show we have great challenges ahead," David Hespe, New Jersey Education Commissioner, said.
"...Our country has not properly aligned graduation from high school with the expectations of colleges and career," he added later.
Tova Fedler, a parent, refused to allow her children to take the exam. Fedler claims studies show the test is too difficult, and unfairly measures teacher performance.
"We're not going to be a part of shaming and punishing teachers and schools," Fedler said.
Parents opposing the test, including members of the group "Save Our Schools NJ," say they weren't invited to the event.
"Real instruction was getting lost in favor of test prep," parent Beth O'Donnell-Fischer said.
About 96 percent of New Jersey students took the PARCC exam, and each district set the rules for opting out, the NJ Department of Education said. The majority of the 15 percent of teachers who were also evaluated met expectations.
"The data is not a criticism of the work or motivation of our teachers or our school leaders in our schools," Hespe said.
Results from the PARCC exam is not currently used for graduation or college admission. But the New Jersey Department of Education said that could change in 2020.
Parents can expect to learn in November how their students did.
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