First Posted: 3/4/2015
Lawmakers aren’t giving up the fight against Common Core and PARCC testing just yet as U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., introduce the “Support Making Assessments Reliable and Timely” or SMART Act.
The bill was introduced in the Senate on Jan. 20 after U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., and Ryan Costello, R-Pa., introduced a bill in the House of Representatives in December.
The Common Core State Standards Initiative, adopted by Ohio in 2010, is a federal program that outlines expectations for language arts and math. In its first year, The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, tests are administered twice a year as well as state and local tests.
According to the Center for American Progress, Ohio students in grades three through eight now take about 10 standardized tests, spending an average of almost 20 hours taking tests and 15 hours preparing for them each year.
Brown said the act would reduce time spent on tests, update grants for local authorities and schools to administer tests, and provide more instantaneous, relevant data. The bill would also enable state and local test audits to eliminate unnecessary tests and limit federal intervention.
“More of our students’ time in school should be spent on learning, not on unnecessary testing,” Brown said. “While annual testing is critical in measuring student achievement, we should eliminate duplicative tests and realign focus to college- and career-ready standards.”
Lexi Ritchie, a high school senior who commented on The Lima News’ Facebook page, said only the freshmen have to take the test at her school. Though, she just recently found out American government students have to test, no matter grade level.
Children “hardly spend any time in class actually learning,” she wrote.
Melissa Young voiced similar concerns on The Lima News’ Facebook page.
“We are teaching our kids that all that matters is testing,” she wrote. “It doesn’t matter if they really understand the material as long as they get the right answer.”
Still, there are some, such as Barb Lutz, who have no problem with PARCC testing.
“My children have done them, freshman and fifth grade, and said it was nothing hard,” she wrote on The Lima News’ Facebook page. “I find it ridiculous that people are opposed to making children work hard for an education.”
Still, legal opposition of PARCC and Common Core has been withstanding in Ohio.
Beginning in 2013, a bill was introduced to withdraw from the Common Core. Former state Rep. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, introduced a similar bill to withdraw from the program a year later.
In previous local school board meetings, including Allen East and Lima, representatives also voiced their concerns.
During this month’s board meeting in Elida, legislative liaison Pat Schymanski was in favor of the bill. He’s hopeful it won’t be long for Ohio schools to see changes in testing and curriculum guidelines.
At the meeting, Elida High School Principal Darren Sharp and teacher Phil Hesseling said the amount of time students and teachers spend because of PARCC has been astronomical.
“Something needs to change,” Sharp said.
However, Ohio schools and students were awarded some protection from testing in a series of bills barring the results to have any effect on students, teachers or schools. Parents also have the ability to opt-out.
Whether or not the SMART Act will provide more relief has yet to be determined, but Brown said at the very least he hopes the bill will be part of a larger package.
