PARCC Standardized Testing has officially begun in the Scotch Plains- Fanwood school district.  The test will take place on  Tuesday and Friday in the morning, and all day Wednesday and Thursday. On March 28, freshmen and juniors begun the test, and on March 29 sophomores began.
PARCC testing greatly alters the school dynamic, since many students have opted out of the test due to them already meeting the requirements that the test assesses, through SAT and ACT testing.
The regular school day schedule changes, classes must find shelter in other classrooms, and computer carts are not readily available.
To say the least, most students are not pleased with testing due to the long hours that have to be put in to finish just one unit, roughly 110 minutes per English section to finish 13 questions.
“I feel that PARCC testing is unnecessary and kind a waste of time.  I feel like it isn’t a good assessment of ability and standardized testing in general isn’t a good reflection of intelligence,”sophomore Kara Bush said.
Many students agree that PARCC testing does not help or improve their academic abilities and have decided to opt out of testing.  Not only does this hinder the PARCC company’s statistics, it puts inconsistencies in a student’s testing record. Although many believe the test does not have any positive attributes, there are some positive outcomes of taking the tests.
“I didn’t opt out because I feel like it is still a good practice for other tests like the SATS and ACTS,” Bush said.
The test is also critiqued for its ineffectiveness in student criteria and the lack of preparation that many students feel they get. Most of preparation done beforehand is what is learned in the classroom there is nothing though that focuses directly on PARCC format testing.
Overall, the student body’s main sentiment towards PARCC is that it’s a large waste of their time. Although it does have positive aspects, it could be seen as time taken away from learning essential academic substance.