By MICHAEL NUNES
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK — Parents called on members of the Board of Education to pass a resolution expressing their opposition to the state’s Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) test.
“I’m here this evening to voice my opposition to the state’s attempt at making PARCC the only path to graduation and request that [the board] pass a resolution denouncing their proposal,” Jodi Hoover said at the board’s April 14 meeting.
Hoover was joined by over 20 other parents who shared her concern.
“This potential impact of the state’s proposed policy is especially concerning for our at-risk students such as English language learners and students with disabilities or other special needs,” Hoover said, adding that the PARCC exam last year had a passing rate of 40 percent among high school students.
Due to the board opting to open up the public comments session of the meeting before the Wall of Honor ceremony, in which three retired teachers were recognized for their years of service, many of the parents and children who attended the meeting did not have an opportunity to speak.
According to that evening’s agenda, the public comment session was scheduled for after the ceremony.
“I find it extremely distressing that according to the information we had, you’ve gone off agenda and now decided to limit the public portion of our speech tonight. I think that is an infringement on the best interest of the community where you should be willing to hear from the members of the community that have come to speak,” said Deborah Cornavaca, a district parent.
Board President Todd Simmens gave parents 15 minutes to voice their concerns at the end of the meeting. He stated that due to the public comments session having already passed, and the fact that the board was expected to enter into a four-hour executive session after the public meeting was over, time would be limited.
Cornavaca also expressed concern that school officials were telling students that taking the PARCC test was a mandatory requirement for graduation.
“It is not according to statute a requirement to take the PARCC in order to graduate. The law is very clear,” Cornavca said. “This misinformation must stop, and it must come from [the board] as a directive and it must start immediately.”
The next day the board released a statement seeking to address the concerns of parents.
“After last night’s meeting, during a review of our communication, we discovered that a document titled Graduation Requirements, from the high school, incorrectly stated PARCC was required. That document was immediately corrected. I apologize for the error,” Superintendent of Schools Victor Valeski said in a press release.
Hoover and Cornavaca were also joined by another parent, Karen Goldestein, in voicing their opposition to the PARCC exam.
According to the board’s attorney, Matthew Giacobbe, parents can choose to not have their children take the exam.
“People are not required to take the PARCC test. Parents have the right to opt out. … So each parent and their student could have a discussion, and if he or she wants their child to opt out, they have the right to do it,” he said. “We don’t impose punishment or retribution.”
Giacobbe also advised parents to reach out to their state legislators and the state Board of Education to have their voices heard.
Some members of the board at the meeting responded to the parents’ concerns.
“We’ve talked before up here about standardized testing, and I came right out and said if it were up to me we wouldn’t give any standardized tests to anyone, including the SATs or the ACTs,” said Vicki Becker, vice president of the board. “I think everyone sitting here believes that the most important thing is that our children are gaining the knowledge they will need to take their place as citizens of East Brunswick, the state, the country and, indeed today with the internet, with our global community.”
Becker’s remarks were echoed by Simmens.
“As I’ve said at every meeting we’ve talked about this, PARCC is a colossal disruption. I find it personally unnecessary, and it takes up far too much of our students’ time, our professionals’ time. It’s terrible,” he said, stating that the board would look into a resolution stating the board’s opposition to the exam. “Unfortunately, sometimes we are at the mercy of the state and the federal government. If we don’t play ball, sometimes there can be sanctions, I’m assuming.”