JWMS Seventh Grader Speaks Out Against Testing Before State BOE
The New Jersey State Board of Education (SBOE) in Trenton gave members of the public an opportunity to speak about topics related to public education last week at a “public testimony session.”
More than 80 teachers, parents, and schoolchildren from across the state came to share their views including Raisa Rubin-Stankiewicz, 12, a seventh grade student at John Witherspoon Middle School (JWMS). Like Ms. Rubin-Stankiewicz, many had come to express concern about upcoming PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) testing.
Designed to access the concerns of parents, the Board wished to hear “what’s happening in schools and how it’s impacting their children and families,” read the event flyer, which also quoted Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.”
Accompanied by her mother, Julia Rubin, one of the founders of Save Our Schools New Jersey, and Jennifer Lea Cohan of the grass roots organization Community for Princeton Public Schools, Ms. Rubin-Stankiewicz read her prepared statement criticizing the exams that are due to take place in Princeton’s schools this spring and the time spent in preparing for them.
“So far this year, seventh graders at my school have spent seven class periods preparing for the PARCC standardized test. We could have learned an entire unit of math or English in that time. My teachers say that there is more PARCC test preparation yet to come. That is the first reason that I oppose the PARCC test, because preparation for PARCC takes time away from real learning,” she said.
Ms. Rubin-Stankiewicz, who described JWMS as “a part of the wonderful Princeton Public School District,” went on to characterize the test prep classes as “boring and unproductive.”
“One of our prep periods was devoted entirely to a tutorial showing how to change the background color and hide information to concentrate better in an on-line testing environment,” she said. “The scary thing is that Princeton public schools actually do very little standardized test preparation compared to other school districts. They just want us to be prepared for this test that the law requires them to give. I love my school but I dread those PARCC preparation periods!”
In addition, Ms. Rubin-Stankiewicz expressed another common criticism of the testing — the expense involved. Citing the cost to the Princeton school district as “$255,000 this year,” the JWMS student questioned the impact of such costs on poorer school districts than Princeton. “To pay for the PARCC, districts are having to fire teachers or to cut programs like gym, art, music, and drama, which motivate students. Some districts have to do both,” she alleged.
Stress was another factor that the 12-year-old held against the testing. She quoted classmate Calum Binnie who contended that the tests would not only be stressful for students and teachers but for those managing the exams.
In concluding her testimony, Ms. Rubin-Stankiewicz said that she would be refusing to take part in the testing this spring.
Chances are she may not be the only student opting out of the tests in Princeton. Avowing to incorporate awareness of the downside to the PARCC exam into the efforts of Community for Princeton Public Schools, Ms. Lea Cohan added that she will opt-out her own son when he enters the third grade, the grade level at which testing is first administered.
For a schedule on public hearings on education held by the SBOE, visit: www.state.nj.us/education/sboe/meetings. Written comments may be addressed to New Jersey Department of Education, State Board Office, P.O. Box 500, Trenton, N.J. 08625-500. Anyone who would like to speak during a public testimony session, may reserve time by registering online or calling the State Board office at (609) 292-0739.