March 04, 2015
Ty Wright/AP
By the end of the year, about 12 million children in 28 states and the District of Columbia will take exams that are expected to be harder than traditional spring standardized state tests they replace.
Schools across New Jersey began administering the new controversial Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exams Monday, with a number of students choosing to opt out.
State Education Commissioner David Hespe said the first day of widespread PARCC testing was good overall, with nearly 100,000 tests started. Sunday's weather did delay the beginning of testing at some schools.
Nearly every school district in Somerset County delayed the start of the PARCC exams because schools had delayed openings due to the snowstorm, NJ.com reports.
Districts must test students in grades 3-11 in both math and English between March 2 and March 27.
NJ Spotlight is posting one question or set of questions verbatim from the PARCC practice tests each day this week. Check it out and get a taste of what’s being asked and what’s being assessed.
Try some samples from the math test for third-graders, or take a crack at a fifth-grade language arts question.
Can you pass the PARCC?
