A lot of concerned parents will get together at two separate locations this weekend to discuss PARCC testing and how it's affecting their children.

Caryn Jenkins is one of the organizers of the events. She told KEEL News phase two of PARCC testing is coming up in May, and she wants parents to know they can opt their children out of the exams.

"The sad thing is that Common Core from the top down is harming our children," she said. "But the PARCC testing itself, depending on the grade level, they're testing anywhere from eight to 11 hours. And that's 3rd through 8th grade right now. The sad thing is that next year, if John White has his way, they'll be testing Kindergarten through 10th grade in our state."

She said people need to realize that one test does not assess what our children are learning. She said the kids are spending the second half of the school year either prepping for tests or taking tests.

"Our kids have already taken one week of PARCC, two days of LEAP, and then they'll be taking another three to four days of PARCC in May. So we're wasting a lot of great instruction time, and for what? What are we getting from this? The results won't even be back until October or November. So our teachers cannot even use that information or results to help our children in education. So we have to really look and see what the reasons are for our state and for our federal government to demand for our children to take these tests."

Jenkins has kids in 1st and 4th grades. She opted her 4th-grader out of the PARCC tests. At Saturday's events, parents will get the opportunity to take a sample PARCC test, get straight answers to questions about high-stakes testing, and learn how to refuse PARCC testing for their children.

No PARCCing events are set for Saturday, April 25, from noon until 4. One is at Brownlee Park on Old Brownlee Road in Bossier City. The other is at A.C. Steere Park in Shreveport. The links will take you to the Facebook pages for each gathering.

 

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