The Toms River High School East Child Stud Team - 1834 Words

The Toms River High School East Child Stud Team (CST) would like to provide comments and concerns relating to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), No Child Left Behind, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 requirement of assessments in public schools and that all students must participate, with the sole focus on the state of New Jerseys decision to use the PARCC. Specifically, considering the impact is has on students classified with learning disabilities. I would like to urge you to think about reevaluating the procedure of using the PARCC and other standardized tests that are geared to general education students to assess our students because it seems to be doing more harm than good. During the†¦show more content†¦To start, I would like to give examples of how this test is actually affecting the students. As the time for testing comes near, students come into the high school CST office daily talking about how anxious they are about having to participate in the test, even with testing accommodations put in place. One specific student, Ashley’, has been coming in regularly talking about how nervous she is about the test this year because last year her parents opted her out. This year, the school district has informed her not to do this and she knows that there is no possible way she will pass because he is in all special education (SE) classes. When he was informed that he did not have to pass and try his best because through her IEP she will be exempt from passing, she expressed that she is still upset about it. She feels that she has to do well on the test to prove that she is not dumb. She says that thinking about taking the test makes her sick to his stomach and she wants to skip those school days when the test is being administered. Just from speaking with her, it is easy to see that the scores she feels she will receive on this test are affecting her self-esteem. She does not understand why she has to take the test if she is exempt from passing. Ashley is not the only one to express concerns about taking the test.