City Councilor Churchill Cotton was one of the first to try his hand at the practice PARCC tests.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Soon state officials will determine whether or not students should be tested through MCAS or switch to PARCC.

 

The state has been moving from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System to using the new standardized tests.

 

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers is designed to test the Common Core curriculum being adopted nationally, making it easier to compare schools and said to increase student achievement.

 

However, local United Educators of Pittsfield is undecided on whether that is good or bad. Particularly, members are concerned about implementing the test with "high stakes" when it isn't known how good of an assessment the test will be.

 

"One of the things we're concerned about is, is this the right way to assess the students and the schools?" United Educators President Brendan Sheran said on Saturday.

 

"Potentially, these things can play into how schools are rated. A lot of educators are concerned with how this information will be used."

 

Sheran said there are mixed feelings about the test among union membership. The union spent Saturday providing information not only about the switch but also about a bill that could put a moratorium on using the PARCC results as a graduation requirement, and evaluation of teachers or schools.

 

Additionally, they set up a half dozen computers to practice examines from Grades 3-11 to let parents try it out for themselves.

 

"We want people to come in and know what their kids are taking and how difficult it is," said Reid Middle School teacher Eric Cicchetti. 

 

The state has an accountability system based on the MCAS scores for schools. The overall school scores on the various tests are expected to show improvement from year to year resulting in school rankings on 1 to 5 level. The state is authorized to step in and take more control over a school should it rank to low.

 

Students also are required to pass the 10th grade MCAS in order to graduate, which presumably would be the case if PARCC is adopted. 

 

The union partnered with Dottie's Coffee Lounge to give residents a chance to take the exams.

The two examinations are believed to have different benefits and it depends on who you ask on which one is more difficult.

 

The national Common Core has come under fire in some states, with critics saying a national model won't work for all schools, states and students. Further, critics say the tests are too stressful and standardized testing in general has become too much of a focus.

 

In Massachusetts, the state ran a small test pool of the PARCC exams last year. This year, it has expanded that pool and given options for schools to start using PARCC with no penalty in their assessments. Pittsfield opted to bring PARCC into Grades 3 through 8; MCAS was still administered in the upper grades for graduation requirements.

 

This year's test pool allowed a pen and paper version, but if and when PARCC is rolled out, it will be all online, raising concerns of privacy and leaving school departments to foot the bill for laptops.

 

"The state has provided no funding to give the schools the resources to do this," Sheran said.

 

The switch is important in a number of ways but the Berkshires have had little opportunity to weigh in. Sheran said the closest session the state is holding to gather input is in Springfield, so the union has do to its own education efforts to gather input to later give the Department of Education. He said the union has not taken a formal stance on the issue yet.

 

"We want to reach out to all of our members before taking a formal vote on it," Sheran said.