Wayne Students Randomly Chosen to Take Practice Common Core Exam

Students at Wayne township schools will be participating in a trial PARCC test this spring that Department of Education officials say will help students and schools better prepare for the new state exam, and help the state get a feel for how the administration of the new test will work.

The PARCC, or Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, exam is set to roll out statewide next year. It will replace the NJ ASK and HSPA proficiency exams. PARCC is aligned to the Common Core curriculum adopted by New Jersey and 44 other states.

Wayne Superintendent Raymond Gonzalez recently posted an update on the Wayne schools website saying that township students have been randomly selected by the state to take a practice PARCC this year.

“The field test administration will not yield a student score report and will in no way become part of our students’ educational record,” Gonzalez said in the post.

“This is really a 'test of the test' to see how well it works and whether any adjustments are needed before students take the actual PARCC exams in the 2014-15 school year.”

The Superintendent also said it would be a good way to make sure the district is technologically ready for the exam, which is administered entirely online.

“This is also a chance to make sure the tablets, laptops and desktop computers most students will use for the test work properly with the test,” he said.

Nine of the schools in the district have been chosen to participate in the practice test - Anthony Wayne, Fallon, George Washington, Packanack, Ryerson, Schuyler Colfax, Theunis, Hills, and Valley, according to the post.