Schools

Ridgewood Superintendent: State Should Delay New PARCC Exam

Superintendent Daniel Fishbein co-authored an op-ed piece pointing out why he thinks the state is rushing into the new test, which is set to hit NJ schools next year.

New Jersey should delay the implementation of new standardized testing in schools, according to an opinion column the Superintendent of the Ridgewood Public School District co-wrote recently for nj.com.

The school district announced the article, which Superintendent Daniel Fishbein wrote with Riverdell Regional Superintendent Patrick J. Fletcher, in its latest newsletter.

In the op-ed piece, Fishbein says that he supports new educational initiatives like increasing academic rigor and incorporating technology into the classroom. But, he takes issue with the impending implementation of the new PARCC exam – set to replace the current state standardized tests next school year.

Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Without expanding capacity in our state’s school districts, it may well be impossible to successfully implement these initiatives,” Fishbein wrote in the article, which appeared on nj.com on March 24.

“And since New Jersey’s schools, particularly those in Bergen County, are already among the finest anywhere, one unavoidable question arises. What’s the rush?”

Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The PARCC Exam is a new multi-state initiative meant to better test Common Core educational standards. The tests will be administered fully online.

On nj.com, Fishbein outlines several questions he has about the implementation of the new testing, including how schools will deal with an increase in testing time (the PARCC calls for nine hours of test over four days), whether or not schools will be able to technologically support the online exam, and if schools will be able, financially, to administer the test.

The authors also point out that the PARCC will put new demands on teachers and staff members, as it requires each school to have a direct liaison to PARCC and the state Department of Education.

"We believe that the administration of the exam should be delayed for at least one year," the superintendents conclude.

Read the full article here.


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