Over the past several months, Scituate High School has experienced the controversy sweeping the nation regarding the new standardized testing program called PARCC.  Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, known by most students as PARCC, has put public schools across the nation into an uproar, with students and parents fighting back. Many states have adopted the test to obtain data about their students and teachers; however, this standardized testing program has caused many students to launch protests. Students are refusing to take the test because they believe it violates their rights and dehumanizes them by representing students with statistics. Multiple schools in New Mexico experienced a school-wide walkout when they administered PARCC. The test ruffled some feathers to say the least, and the storm of protests have finally hit the Scituate School System — where storms of any kind are the last thing anyone wants to see.

When it comes to standardized testing, Scituate has administered MCAS for more than ten years. The dramatic success rate in many districts (including Scituate) has encouraged the state to use another test to challenge more of its students. In response to these encouragements, schools have been given the option to administer either PARCC or MCAS testing. Scituate school officials elected to switch it up and challenge students with PARCC, but they may  not have anticipated a strong negative response from many students and parents.

As a Junior at SHS, I was initially confused about the whole situation. The way information was presented to students was very shady, and there were many unanswered questions. Can we opt out of the test? Does the test count toward our graduation? What benefits or scholarship opportunities does the test include? Many answers had to be pulled out of the school like a root canal procedure. In an attempt to settle the growing commotion within the SHS community, Superintendent McCarthy sent out a very professional yet cloudy email. In the email he said you weren’t allowed to opt out, but at the same time the school couldn’t force you against your will to take the test. Rumors were circulating that the faculty would have to reprimand kids who didn’t take the test seriously. The initial presentation was confusing; therefore, I did some research to find out the real truth behind PARCC testing.

The pros of taking the test on paper are a no brainer: Test Scituate students with a more challenging exam in order to get the most out of them. All we have to do is get hundreds of kids in the high school to take the test. PARCC evaluates and examines student learning more thoroughly;therefore, it will help Scituate students prepare for rigorous tests such as the SAT. While this sounds great, the only problem is the overarching question: What’s in it for the students?

The answer to this question is basically nothing. While students do acknowledge PARCC tests are certainly an upgrade from MCAS, many fail to understand why SHS students — in particular juniors — would want to take the test. SHS sophomores are required to pass MCAS to meet the graduation requirements. SHS juniors respected the test during their sophomore year, and now you’re telling them they have to take another test that doesn’t count toward graduation? Why would anyone do that? Many students are in the middle of juggling AP and Honors schedules that apply lots of stress on them, and quite frankly they don’t want to take multiple days of testing for the “fun of it.” Many students are trying to focus on SATs and their lives after high school. Taking another test isn’t the best topic to bring up at this time.

PARCC testing results are questionable because some students may not try their best when taking the test; therefore, the data they are collecting could be invalid. The test is being administered on the counterintuitive Google Chromebooks, which differ from your typical PC, and also require you to have adequate typing skills. The test’s lack of incentive also really hurts its legitimacy in the eyes of many students.

If the PARCC results created opportunities for college scholarships, rewards, or college credit, students would probably help the state develop the test. However, the current testing administrators’ lack of connection and empathy with students — the very people who power their paychecks — really makes the new standardized test a PARCCING violation.