As a parent and a teacher, I have my own beliefs and opinions about the assessment. I can see the good and the bad in it. There are some aspects of this test that I like. Yes, I did say I like some parts of it. There are others that I don't necessarily agree with.
What I do know is that as a role model for my children and students, I need to be positive. I need to prepare them the best that I can so they can go into this exam with an open mind and try their hardest to be the best they can. I want my kids and students to have integrity. They need to give their all in every endeavor they take on. I have such a small amount of time to make an impact on my kids and in my classroom. It is my job to take every situation we are presented with and use it as a valuable lesson that will transfer over into their life in the real world.
I think back to my childhood and situations I was put in and how I learned from those situations. As an adult those situations from my childhood frame my behavior and actions.
If your child participates on a sports team, would you have them forfeit a game that you felt they weren't fairly matched to their opponents in. Or would you tell them to try their hardest, do their best and maybe they would become better athletes playing against the harder competition.
We always tell our students and children to believe in themselves and to shoot for the stars. They are going to be faced with impossible situations for the rest of their lives. There will be times in the real world that they are in over their head. My wish is that they have the skills to put themselves out there and always be able to walk away from an impossible situation with their integrity knowing they tried.
Yes, I know that the PARCC Assessment may be difficult. I have taken the practice tests and I did have to think on some of the questions. My students and my own daughter have taken the practice tests. They struggle a bit but it is amazing to see what they can figure out and how they can rise to the occasion. I want my students and kids to be problem solvers and critical thinkers. I want them to be the best that they can be. Many kids want and need more.
I like the idea of having a common assessment in our nation. How cool is it to have a measurement so students in New York are being assessed on the same skills as students in Colorado. Does it need to be impossible? No, of course not but if everyone is taking the same assessment it will be an accurate measure of where the kids are even if they all fail. What about the kids that struggle? Student achievement is a measurement of academic growth. As a teacher, no matter what level my students are at, they all better grow at least a years worth of growth other wise I have failed as their teacher and I am not afraid to be judged that way.
So I say Bring It On! Will it be hard? Absolutely! Is it fair? Probably not! Are my kids ready? As ready as they are going to be. Will they try their hardest? I sure hope so. Will they fail? Possibly! Will they learn from this experience? Absolutely! Will PARCC be long lived? I'm guessing no!
What can we do as parents and teachers going into the assessment season? Embrace it! It is here. We can alleviate the stress for our kids or escalate it. Make the best of it and move on!
Nina Pears
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