About PARCC

What Is PARCC?

PARCC — the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers — is a consortium of states that developed standardized assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards. These computer-based tests were designed to measure whether students are on track for college and careers according to Common Core benchmarks.

PARCC tests replaced existing state assessments in participating states, including New York, tying high-stakes testing directly to the Common Core framework. The tests cover English Language Arts and Mathematics for grades 3 through 11.

PARCC and Common Core

PARCC cannot be separated from Common Core. The assessments were built specifically to measure the standards, making them the enforcement mechanism for Common Core in the classroom. Schools and teachers are pressured to align instruction to the test, effectively narrowing curriculum to what PARCC measures.

Critics argue that PARCC testing drives a one-size-fits-all approach to education, reduces teacher autonomy, and subjects students to excessive standardized testing with little transparency about test content or data use.

Key Concerns

• High-stakes consequences: Student scores are tied to teacher evaluations, school ratings, and funding decisions.
• Data privacy: PARCC collects extensive student data, raising concerns about how that information is stored, shared, and protected under FERPA.
• Instructional time lost: Hours of classroom time are consumed by test preparation and administration rather than meaningful learning.
• Age-appropriateness: Many parents and educators question whether the tests are developmentally suitable, particularly for younger students.
• Cost: Implementing PARCC requires significant technology infrastructure and ongoing licensing fees borne by school districts and taxpayers.

The Opt-Out Movement

In response to PARCC and other Common Core-aligned tests, a growing number of New York parents have chosen to opt their children out of high-stakes testing. The opt-out movement asserts that parents have the right to refuse standardized tests that they believe harm their children's education and violate student privacy.

New York has seen some of the highest opt-out rates in the nation, with tens of thousands of families refusing state assessments each year.