In 2010, the New Jersey Department of Education made the decision to alternate its standardized testing program from the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA)/New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK) to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). Since the Department of Education’s drastic transition to the PARCC, many elements were brought forward that would shed light on the matter regarding its capability to produce top tier students and scholars. However, despite the fact that the department considers it to be an improvement over the NJ ASK and HSPA, the PARCC has generated hostility from many students and staff, as they voice their anger towards the introduction of the PARCC.

Set to replace its predecessors and be distributed during the 2014-2015 school year, the new testing program has been undergoing constant updating and leveling since its introduction in 2010. According to parcconline.org, the objective of the PARCC is to incorporate a more rigorous assessment that would enhance the learning abilities of students over the Common Core States Standards, and enable them to proceed to college and beyond without major academic hinder. It is also imperative for the developers of the testing program to equip the teachers with the proper tools in distinguishing the capable from the incapable. While all of this seems to resonate with positive values, many opposing forces regard these objectives as the reasons why the PARCC testing won’t do the students any good.

The PARCC testing will be covering grades 3-11. With that in mind, a wider range of opposition was created as a result. While some once criticized the HSPA and NJASK for being somewhat rudimentary in questions and level of difficulty, the PARCC is now looked down upon due to the fact that it is a huge leap over the previous tests. From incorporating a wide range of new unlearned topics in Mathematics and literature, to having the test done on the computer, such drastic changes may be counterproductive towards the test takers, especially to elementary school kids, who may lack skills in typing and critical thinking. Despite the fact that preparations are being done by both the school and the students, the PARCC is still regarded with a negative outlook. Teachers are required to cover the large array of topics and to be cognizant of the program itself. The costs of providing the students with proper testing environments could possibly inflict a gashing wound on school budgets and finances. Going further, schools in impoverished areas will not be able to provide its faculty and students with the proper tools to excel in the program, putting them at a disadvantage when compared to others.

Many students have taken stands against the seemingly unjust standardized testing. NJ.com reported, in “N.J. Fourth Grader to Board of Education: The PARCC Exam ‘Stinks,’ Report Says” by Jessica Mazzola,, that the Montclair Board was confronted by a 10 year old on whether or not the  PARCC will actually help the students. Elizabeth Blaine, the 10 year old girl, addressed the council on the problems regarding the new testing programming, from its incredibly difficult curriculum to its incorporation into computers and tablets. The whole scene was recorded and can be found on YouTube, where the video has amassed quite an audience. Another incident that sprung up involved students from a different age group, but with the same intentions that the 10 year old Blaine had. Reported from app.com, in “Beachwood Teen Leads Fight in Toms River Against PARCC,” by Amanda Oglesby, where thousands of students from Toms River Regional Schools, under the leadership of Jacob Hartmann, have voiced their opinions on the inefficiencies of the PARCC testing. Many of the students and the teachers of Toms Rivers that participated in the stand against PARCC have said that the test is part of a “government takeover” of education and that it is going to place a hinder on academic progress as teachers and students have to cover and assess the exam’s topics. Hartmann also claimed that (with PARCC in mind) English and Math teachers’ work evaluations are going to be partially based on the test results themselves, moreover, causing problems for students in the long run due to the extensive topics covered, from Algebra II to Literature and Composition. Although these students come from all different walks of life, the protestors hope that one day, students will be liberated from such choking exams. They are also hoping that perhaps NJ’s DOE may reconsider using the PARCC as a proper method of evaluating students. This pattern has been seen in not only NJ, but within other states that have enrolled it in their domains, such as NY, AR, IL, and NM.

Overall, many voices are now in unison against this new standardized testing program. Due to its large array of high level topics in Math and Literature, its incorporation in computers and tablets, the extensive time that it takes to prepare for the test, and for various other reasons, voices have sprung up in defiance against the PARCC and many are now hoping for amendments to be done regarding what looks like to be a challenge to many promising students.