Last spring, zero percent of high school students in the state of Illinois exceeded standards on the PARCC test in math. Only 17 percent met the standards in math. In English, 38 percent of students met or exceeded standards. These numbers included all of the electronic tests taken in IL, which accounts for about 70 percent of the tests taken overall.

“I don’t feel like [the state results] are an accurate reflection of our school. I think that our test results will be very low, but I don’t think it’s because of what students have learned. I believe it’s because right now students do not see value in the test. There is no reason for them to take the test seriously,” associate principal for curriculum and instruction Janice Schwarze said.

The goal of the PARCC test is to replace the old state tests, such as the PSAE, with a universal test based off of Common Core learning standards. These standards are designed to test more than what knowledge students retain. Instead they look at how students learn, think, and justify their thoughts.

“The PARCC test can give us information that we’ve never had before, but with the way the test was last year, it was unmanageable…when we get to a point where the data is really reliable, when students are taking the test seriously, when it’s a reasonable amount of time for students, we will take a look at the data just like we use to do with the ACT,” Schwarze said.

The state superintendent, Dr. Tony Smith, has said that these scores are just a starting point for schools. Schwarze has also been told that there will be changes made to the test in the near future.

“The test is extremely long and I think that some students just got tired of testing, there’s only so long you can sustain your focus and your concentration, and so I believe our scores will be low across the board, not just at North,” Schwarze said.