Sixth-grader Quincy Stover takes part in a practice session while preparing for the PARCC tests at Fort Logan Northgate School in Sheridan on March 5. (Craig F. Walker, Denver Post file)
Re: “Teaching to the Core,” May 24-26 news series.
Eric Gorski’s recent series on the Common Core standards and the PARCC assessment were well-written and informative. There is one issue, however, that deserves more attention. The PARCC is an inappropriate mechanism for assessing two fundamental aspects of the Common Core.
In the third article in the series, Gorski wrote: “But Common Core also includes ‘standards for mathematical practice’ that put a premium on making arguments, problem-solving, modeling with math, being precise and looking for structure.” In a later paragraph, he quotes a teacher: “You are not just learning how to do this, you are learning how to persevere through something thatap hard … .”
A conventional, timed test cannot be expected to measure these complex, process-oriented expectations.
The first article in the series described students working with other students as a means of addressing the large differences in students’ backgrounds and, perhaps, abilities. If the pedagogy encourages cooperation, the assessments should be consistent with the pedagogy, and students should be assessed in small groups rather than individually.
Arnold Langberg, Denver
This letter was published in the June 1 edition.
