Research Bureau Calls for Technology Funding for PARCC Test in MA
Friday, May 30, 2014
The Worcester Regional Research Bureau released their report “Toward a Common Understanding of the Common Core” on Thursday, and among the recommendations was a statewide plan that would aim to upgrade technology and school facilities to better accommodate PARCC testing.
“That recommendation was based on some of the concerns raised by school districts that not all districts have the ability to implement an online testing system,” said Tim McGourthy, the Executive Director of the Worcester Regional Business Bureau. “It is more than the technology of computers, there are also concerns with bandwidth and other technologies.”
Massachusetts is one of 17 states that currently participates in PARCC testing. The online test has seen a lot of negative attention as of late, with many students and parents attempting to opt out of the pilot program which occurred earlier in the year. PARCC testing will be ready for states to administer during the 2014-2015 school year.
First Steps
Rather than choosing to focus on how much money the potential upgrades will cost, McGourthy says that the current focus for these upgrades is to determine the amount of need that each of the districts needs.
While some schools and districts may be more up to date throughout the Commonwealth, others have a lot more technological needs. Part of making the PARCC test to able to assess students and teachers properly is the ability to make the testing platform universal across the board.
Available Funding
Although McGourthy says that analyzing funding is premature, other organizations see a potential to fund various technology upgrades throughout the state.
According to Linda M. Noonan, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, one such upgrade is a bill currently being worked on in the House that would allot $38 million in funds to increase the broadband technology in schools statewide.
“Not only is this a feasible proposition, it is something that is long overdue,” said Noonan. “We need technology in classrooms for learning and not just testing. It really is imperative that schools figure out how to make strategic use of technology.”
Noonan says that technology is something that should be in the classroom in regardless of whether or not PARCC testing is adopted by the state. While increasing technology for PARCC testing is important, Noonan wants to see a larger effort made toward giving students tools to learn in the modern age.
“Districts really need to make sure that they are advocating for technology,” said Noonan. “Right now there are a lot of resources that are being improperly used or funded for; using more budget money for technology would force districts to be more analytic.”
A Step Back for Massachusetts
With that being said, Brian O’Connell, a member of the Worcester School Committee, says that an emphasis should be placed on technology that will help students learn, not technology that will allow for students to take one test.
“In the right context, technology is great for the classroom,” said O’Connell. “I welcome the expansion of technology in the Worcester school district and I am glad to see that we are making advancements toward better technology. The idea of having an online test could be an advantage, but I would hate for the district to be required to buy technology for a specific purpose.”
O’Connell says that overall, requirements from the PARCC testing system and the Common Core could be bad for the state of Massachusetts. A state with its own set of rigorous academic standards, Massachusetts is in no need of national achievement initiatives.
“The Common Core is certainly important for some states that have a gap between state and nationwide achievement standards,” said O’Connell. “I don’t see the Common Core or PARCC testing as something that Massachusetts needs. I think that these initiatives have the potential to be a step back for the state, especially with a program like PARCC, where teachers may try to teach to the test rather than to the students because they want to have good evaluations.”
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