Residents get sample of student challenges

ST. MARYS - Community members and school district staff came together Thursday night to see for themselves what kind of questions their children are confronting in new standardized tests.
  The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers tests - which measure whether students are on track to be successful in college and careers - are being given to Ohio students for the first time this year.

The St. Marys Board of Education's PARCC Assessment Committee on Thursday welcomed 35 members of the community to answer sample test questions on laptops, tablets and phones, and listen to concerns of administrators and speakers.

The visitors were given about 20 minutes to answer practice questions before the event was open for discussion by guest speakers and others.

Audra Sutton of St. Marys expressed concern for her middle school daughter who has a slight reading disability. Sutton said the ongoing tests have put a lot of stress on her daughter.

"Why should my child be stressed sick over one test? Doesn't it count that she went to school every day and tried her best, that she succeeds?" Sutton asked. "I don't believe we need to be worrying about one test and stressing out our children. I think we need to focus on what is in the best interest for our children."

School superintendent Shawn Brown suggested she contact an organization in Columbus.

"I think your best bet is to get with the special education lobbying group down in Columbus to affect the change you're looking for," he said.

Randy Kunk, a Tri Star Career Compact board member, spoke about the Senate Advisory Committee on Testing that recently was created by Ohio Sen. Peggy Lehner. He is one of about 25 representatives from around the state serving on the committee, along with superintendents, principals and teachers.

Kunk said the committee created a website at sact.ohiosenate.gov, and people have posted more than 2,000 comments concerning the new testing.

One revelation he had at a recent committee meeting was finding out that Common Core standards and PARCC testing are not the same.

"It was an eye-opener for me," he said.

Kunk said he thinks people object to Common Core because of PARCC testing. He would like those who opposed to Common Core to create new state standards rather than complain, he said.

St. Marys Memorial High School Principal Bill Ruane said he is concerned about the amount of classroom time lost while students take the tests.

"As an educator and administrator of a school district, it is kind of frustrating seeing the testing coming along and dominating so much and taking away from the instruction, which is what our kids really need," he said.

He has sent out newsletters and spoken on the issue at school board meetings to keep people informed, he said.

St. Marys school freshmen will undergo 1,400 minutes of PARCC testing and American Institutes for Research testing this year, he said.

"When you implement a test like this at the high school level, you are impacting the whole high school because kids are mixed in and taking different classes," Ruane said.

He and other principals and guidance counselors have to figure out the best way to schedule the tests, he said.

Cameron Warner, a representative for Congressman Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, also was in attendance and offered his view.

"We want to get the federal government as far out of the rife as we possibly can. It's been encouraging in the last stretch here to hear from a number of superintendents that they share the same sentiment," he said.

Warner encouraged the community to stay connected with their representatives concerning the testing issue.

The PARCC assessment committee will show a related documentary, "Rise Above the Mark," at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the performing arts center at the school. The public is invited.

Sample test questions:
Sample PARCC end-of-the-year assessment questions

• Third-grade math: Kevin makes muffins. It takes Kevin 8 minutes to mix the batter. The muffins bake for 17 minutes. The muffins cool for 5 minutes. What is the total amount of time, in minutes, Kevin spends mixing, baking and cooling the muffins?

• Fifth-grade math: Jim uses ribbon to make bookmarks. Jim has 9 feet of ribbon. He uses one-third foot of ribbon to make each bookmark. What is the total number of bookmarks Jim makes with all 9 feet of ribbon?

• Seventh-grade math: Which expressions are equivalent to -2.5(1-2n)-1.5n?
(A) -2.5-3.5n
(B) -2.5+3.5n
(C) -2.5-n(5-1.5)
(D) -2.5+n(5-1.5)

• Eighth-grade math: Solve for x
1/5(2x-10)+4x=3(1/5x+4)

- Questions were taken from the PARCC website where answers are available upon completion of each test.