Maryland announced plans to replace the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test with its own standardized test. The new test, which is planned to be in place for the 2019-2020 school year, will be shorter and less disruptive to class than the current test.
The PARCC test was created to test students based on Common Core Standards. Participation in the test has dropped from 23 states and DC in 2010, to only 6 states and DC in 2018.
The need for change was expressed by Governor Larry Hogan and Maryland State Superintendent Karen Salmon when they received many complaints about the test. Hogan claims parents, teachers, and students alike want the PARCC test to end.
“I don’t think it’s necessary for my educational purposes.” Middletown High School senior Breyden Spires said.
The point of a test is to assess the knowledge one has learned. However, some students worry what they are being tested on doesn’t correlate with what they learn in class.
MHS junior Patrick Beckman said, “Mostly all my teachers explain to the class that on PARCC you have to do a certain problem or write a certain essay differently than they want us to in class.”
The new test will be called the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program or MCAP for short.
