Patricia Boland
Assistant Superintendent of
Curriculum and Instruction
11 Foxcroft Drive
Livingston, New Jersey 07039
Telephone: (973) 535-8000 Ext. 8021
Fax: (973) 597-0692
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.livingston.org
March 9, 2016
If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.
John Dewey
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Almost one hundred years ago, John Dewey, a man that many consider the greatest mind in modern
education, mused about attitudes in his day that showed resistance to change in public education.
His thoughts then are still true today, maybe even more so. Over the past twenty-five years, we have
seen tremendous changes in education that are unparalleled in the field’s history. From local
decisions about what to teach; to state standards and the Common Core national standards; from
testing no one, to testing some children, to testing everyone; from having a rigid tracking system to
de-tracking and open access; from a small segment of students attending college to the vast majority
of students attending college, these shifts have resonated across vast reaches of the educational
landscape. In 1989, a little over 9% of the American population had completed college, today it is
over 40%. In our regional area, it is considerably higher.
Much of this change parallels the rapid changes in our world and the world of our children –
technology, globalization, connectivity, and economic and political roller coasters. So what does this
have to do with PARCC?
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests students’
ability to conceptualize, to make connections and transfers, to take multiple sources and interpret and
evaluate them and design new ideas. It asks students to apply knowledge to real world situations, to
create models in math and new ideas in English Language Arts to demonstrate deep understanding of
multiple concepts. It requires students to use informational text and fiction to analyze critical questions
in the areas of social studies and science. These are the modern tools that our children need for the
world that they will enter after high school and college. The change in the SATs, which begins this
month for our students, is modeled after this same assessment paradigm.
Last year’s introduction to the PARCC was a debacle...I can’t see anyone questioning that. That
being said, the essence of the test is what our children will be required to master in assessments
going forward in their educational career. They should get exposure to this model and begin to
achieve in the areas above because that is their future. Although we had a large opted out segment
of our population, we still did very well because our teachers are teaching those concepts listed above
and so much more! Some of our grade levels had the highest ELA scores in the county; our middle
school geometry students had the highest achievement in the state; and, our Algebra I students were
third in the state. These results tell us that our curriculum and teachers are preparing our students
well for their future. We include critical thinking and problem solving across the grade levels. We
infused informational text in every subject. We have had initiatives on “writing across the curriculum”
for years before it became expected.
Livingston Public Schools: Empowering all to learn, create, contribute and grow.
This year the State of New Jersey Department of Education has revised a number of things that make
the PARCC more manageable. They eliminated the two testing cycles and reduced the time of both
the ELA and the math tests. They made actual testing questions available for teachers which we have
been using so that students are familiar with the format and level of expectation. They promise that,
since the test is grounded from this past year, the results will be available for the beginning of next
year so that we can make good educational decisions.
It is important to give your child(ren) the experience of the PARCC assessment so that he or she can
easily manage the structure and expectations on the PSATs and SATs later on. Beyond this, the
State of New Jersey requires a state assessment to fulfill their obligation of the federal requirements
of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which replaced the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). I have
attached a “frequently asked questions” summary from the state to answer your questions about
mandated testing. State law requires us to have a 95% minimum participation rate in state
assessments. Livingston Board of Education Policy 2260 reflects this obligation.
I have also attached the revised testing calendar for your information. We have been asked to have
one session of field testing for English Language Arts which is reflected in this calendar. Each year
one third of the schools in the state participate in field test. We will not do this again for three years.
In Grades 3-5, testing will take eight days (four for language arts and four for mathematics); testing in
both middle schools remains the same with six sessions (three for ELA and 3 for math); in LHS,
Grades 9-11, testing will take seven days (four for language arts and three for mathematics). Makeup
dates are on the bottom of the calendar. Although the testing is spread out over more days than the
NJASK, the total time is only slightly longer. We used to have two and three hour sessions on the
NJASK.
The PARCC testing dates are as follows:
Grade 3
Grades 4 & 5
Grade 6
Grades 7 & 8
Grades 9-11
Language Arts
April 5, 6, 7, 8
April 19, 20, 25, 26
April 25, 26, 27
May 4, 5, 6
April 13, 14, 15, 18
Math
April 11, 12, 13, 14
April 27, 28, 29, May 2
April 28, 29, May 2
May 9, 10, 11
May 16, 17, 18
Despite the craziness of last year, we are very positive about the changes that the NJDOE made this
year and are thrilled that our first glimpse of student data showed that we are preparing our students
well for the challenges that they will meet in the upper grade levels, in college and in life. We are
confident that this year, the data will give us additional information about the areas that we need to
improve to help our students do their best and prepare for their tomorrow.
Any questions or concerns can be addressed to me at extension 8021 or to Mrs. Natalie Topylko, the
Coordinator of Testing, Data Assessment and Accountability at extension 8904. We would be glad to
meet with any parent with concerns.
Thank you for your attention and support.
Sincerely,
Patricia Boland
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction
Livingston Public Schools: Empowering all to learn, create, contribute and grow.