By Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
The results of last year’s Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests in the Hillsborough Township Public School District brought a mixed bag of data for officials.
During the Oct. 10 Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Dr. Lisa M. Antunes outlined last year’s outcome.
“I don’t think anybody thought the state would get through the first administration of PARCC, but we did it pretty seamlessly and we did it even better last school year,” she said. “I’m very confident that this school year will be even better.”
The 2015-16 school year was the second instance that the PARCC tests were administered in Hillsborough.
According to Dr. Antunes, the English Language Arts and Literacy assessments were taken in grades 3-11, while students in grades 3-8 took the Mathematics assessment.
PARCC assessments replace the K-8 level Assessment of Skills and Knowledge and High School Proficiency Assessments. It also replaces state tests for high schoolers in math and English, but they must also a biology competency test in their careers.
These K–12 assessments are intended to give teachers, schools, students and parents better information whether students are on track educationally for success after high school. They are intended to give teachers feedback on how curriculum and methods may need tweaking.
Dr. Antunes said the district’s results for both assessments showed an increase in the number of students meeting or exceeding expectations, as well as a decrease in the number of students who did not, in nearly all grade levels.
PARCC scores students with numerical scores that correlate to five levels, from not meeting expectations up to exceeding them. The district is looking to score at least a four or five overall.
The only outlier from that trend, according to officials, was grade 11, which saw a decrease in the number of pupils that met expectations. Dr. Antunes said that particular result points to a phenomenon that only affects that grade level.
“Across the state, for grade 11, students performed less well than the previous year,” she said. “In grade 11, we don’t count students that take Advanced Placement classes … so those numbers are different across the state,” she said.
In addition to the increase in test performance, the district’s data shows that the number of “valid scores” for the PARCC assessments increased from 4,141 students with valid scores to 4,569 students.
“This tells us that we have perhaps less students who refuse to test, which is important as a district because it meets the federal requirement for having students test,” Dr. Antunes said.
Despite that increase in the number of students who took the test, the district did not come close to its goal of a 95 percent participation rate.
According to officials, approximately 50 percent of the students who were eligible to take the PARCC tests actually took the test and provided a “valid score.”
In order for a test to count as a “valid score,” a student must answer at least one question.
Though the participation fell well below the district’s goal, officials said that refusal rate saw a 20 percent increase from the 2015-16 PARCC participation rate of approximately 30 percent.
That lack of participation in recent years was described as “historic” by Superintendent Dr. Jorden Schiff.
“There was a lack of trust about this assessment,” Superintendent Dr. Jorden Schiff said. “There was a concerted effort by different groups and constituencies to influence members of the public to not take the test … . We never had this issue in the history of standardized testing in New Jersey.”
Dr. Schiff said the district expects to continue falling below its 95 percent participation rate for the next few years, as public distrust in the assessment dies down.
“I anticipate we will continue to be in corrective action until we are at 95 percent, which had been the case for the past 15 to 20 years since we had been doing standardized achievement,” Dr. Schiff said. “This was a very different year with different tests and a different response from the public as a result.”
Beginning in 2020, high school students will need to sit for PARCC in order to graduate. If a passing score isn’t made, he or she could show proficiency in some option, like college-preparatory or military tests.
The Class of 2020 must take, but not necessarily pass, Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II at some point in their school careers. There are options for students who do not make a passing grade.
The Class of 2021 will have to take and pass the PARCC Algebra I test, and take PARCC Geometry and PARCC Algebra II. If a passing score is not met on PARCC Algebra I, the only option for a student is a state appeal.
