Why I’m one of the many parents who want the PARCC exam this year - DCLine
When their schools reopened for in-person learning, my five boys were excited to return. They’ve been happy to be back in the classroom as a more normal school year has progressed, though their enthusiasm has occasionally waned — like when I mentioned the PARCC exam would be returning this spring.
Personally, I am very excited for my sons to take the exams in math and English language arts as the results show me what my children are learning in their schools. As a parent, understanding my child’s strengths and weaknesses is very important to me; it means I’m able to go over practice sessions with them and help create individualized, manageable goals for their educational success.
Parents, guardians and families need to know whether our children are college- and career-ready. Statewide assessments such as PARCC — shorthand for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers — expose harsh opportunity gaps and racial disparities in education, which existed long before the pandemic. A survey of DC parents commissioned last year by Education Reform Now DC found an overwhelming majority (87%) agreed that “end-of-year assessments used to evaluate student learning, skills and academic achievement are important.”
