By Alexandra Hulit –

The View –  

Sophomore Marissa Murphy decided to opt out of the recent PARCC testing in March, becoming one of the 50 percent of freshmen, sophomores and juniors who did the same.

“I think it’s a waste of time,” Murphy said. “They give us too many tests anyways.”

Effort from students who did take the test varied.

“Some students took it seriously,” Assistant Principal Bradley Farrier said,  “ . . . and some students didn’t take any time.”

PARCC, which stands for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, is a state-mandated standardized test given for the first time in March to Castle View freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Unlike other standardized tests, PARCC is entirely online. It also incorporates more visuals and is more performance-based.

A second round is scheduled for May 6.

A benefit to the test is that it “is designed to assess a student towards college readiness,” Farrier said.

But much controversy has surrounded PARCC, including the assessment’s alignment with Common Core standards, which focuses on proficiency in math and English and language arts.

Several teachers at Castle View said they also oppose PARCC testing, including a BHS teacher who asked that his name not be used.

“I think it’s criminal — standardized testing,” he said.

“They want us to individualize how we teach,” said another teacher in BHS, who also asked her name not be used. “But they want us to teach everyone exactly the same. And that’s stupid.”

A big drawback to administering the test was finding the time during the school day.

“It’s a lot of work to try and organize,” Farrier said. “We tried to come up with a schedule that affected the school day as little as possible.”

Despite the efforts, math and English classes lost up to four days of teaching, according to Farrier.