NJ Education Report

Some more “opt-out of PARCC” data is rolling in from local news sources:

Newton High School (Sussex County) had previously reported that 41% of its students were declining to participate in PARCC tests. However, the Jersey Herald reports that on Friday the percentage was down to 21%.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Pemberton (Burlington County) had 20 refusals out of 3,000 students. Washington Township  had “109 opt-outs of the 5,400 children who take the exam.”

In Cherry Hill (Camden County),one of N.J.’s wealthy suburbs, “of the 11th graders, only 27 percent were willing to take the test, according to Joseph Meloche, assistant superintendent. For eighth graders, the rate was 82 percent. Ninety-one percent of the fifth graders were set to take the test.” (Note: Eleventh-graders who get a 400 or higher on the math and reading portions of their SAT’s, or a 16 or higher on the math and reading portions of the ACT, don’t need to take the PARCC to meet graduation requirements. NJ DOE requirements here.)

In Cinnaminson (Burlington) 15% of students opted-out.

In Hopewell Township (Mercer County) about 300 children opted out. (Total enrollment in the district is about 3,500.) Also, “750 of Princeton’s 3,500 (21.4 percent) students opted out of taking the test. In Montgomery, it was 10 out of 4,700 (0.2 percent) students; and in West Windsor-Plainsboro, 77 out of 9,650 (0.8 percent) students.”

“Woodbridge Public Schools [Middlesex County]on Friday reported only about 75 test refusals so far among about 7,500 students in grades, or about 1 percent. And Millburn [Essex] sent an email to parents on Wednesday saying it had received 207 refusal letters out of 3,368 students in grades 3-11, about a 94 percent participation rate.”

In the Caldwell-West Caldwell district, according to “The Progress,” about 220 students out of 2,650 reportedly refused to take the test.

“In Glen Ridge, according to high school principal Dirk Phillips, in grades seven to 11, 685 students are required to take the assessment tests. Phillips said, in an email, that he has received written notification from the parents of five middle school students and two high school students that their children would not be taking the test.” (Essex News Daily)

The Star Ledger reports that “the state says it won’t be able to provide official test participation rates for months, but early reports from schools show a wide disparity between districts.”