As some of you may know, New Jersey is requiring the PARCC standardized tests to be taken up every year up until 11th grade. I am strongly against this agenda and reached out to Governor Christie about this issue. If my statement is actually to be read, I am doubtful, but I still encourage other students to act against this issue...

"Dear Governor Christie:

I am not the type of person to groundlessly whine and fuss about standardized testing; yet the PARCC exam is ridiculous enough for anyone to kick up a storm.

The role of a student is to learn. The job of the teacher is to make sure a student learns. The purpose of the state is to ensure that each school meets a certain standard - beyond that standard, the state must act with reservation and allow classrooms to be original and specific to their students. Keep in mind that I am not debating emotionally - I have every well-grounded reason to be averse to the PARCC.

I gladly took the NJASK each year because it did a fine job of what was necessary. The NJASK ensured that classrooms were fostering proficient students, but the PARCC test is too extensive and and intrusive into what should be the responsibility of individual teachers. Our schools and teachers do not need to be profiled and students do not need to be treated as lab subjects. Enforce the CCSS through the NJASK and leave the rest to the educators.

It is especially troubling that I will be missing instruction time twice per year for an exam of which we are still skeptical. Especially being in all honors and AP classes, each minute is valuable. Some of the most important lessons - both educational and life lessons - have been taught in just 60 minutes of class time. Tell me why students and teachers will have to cram days of class into one; why we have to sacrifice time for an unreasonable, unreputable test.

Part of the e-mail I received about NJAsk proctoring:

  "Test Examiners must be actively monitoring during testing:

–Walk the aisles and scan constantly, ensuring that students are on the correct section of the test (as evidenced by the codes in the margins of each part of the assessment), and are filling in the bubble for the question that they are on!

–Ensure that the test booklet is FLAT, and that the seal of any unused section is not broken.

–Ensure that students are only using provided #2 Ticonderoga pencils.

•While actively proctoring, Test Examiners may not:

–Work on laptops during the exam at any time

–Grade papers during the exam

–Walk around with a clipboard or pen and paper

–Send text messages or emails during the exam

–Stand over the same student for an extended period of time

Give out scrap paper to students (unless required by their IEP/504"

fml