While New Jersey experienced a call center failure on their first day of PARCC, New Mexico is experiencing a student rebellion over the new assessment.
KRQE News Channel 13 reports:
High schools throughout out New Mexico saw a massive walkout from students to welcome in the first day of testing under the state’s new standardized test and more walk-outs are expected in schools over the PARCC test Tuesday.
As promised, high school students in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Las Cruces, Carlsbad, Hot Springs and other cities protested the new “PARCC” test by walking out as classes began Monday morning. In Albuquerque, the protests continued throughout the day with one of the largest drawing several hundred at a west side high school.
In the largest collective demonstration, APS estimates that about 900 to 1000 students walked out and protested the PARCC exam Monday. The district estimates around 1,700 students opted out of the test.
You can follow the protest on Twitter using the hashtag #PARCCWALKOUT. Â Twitchy has a nice recap.
Here is a picture from a local reporter:
RGHS, a few Atrisco students chanting "say no to PARCC" after crossing Central #PARCCWALKOUT pic.twitter.com/7J7p6CjGH5
— Cole Miller (@ColeMillerTV) March 3, 2015
Local schools have Opt Out forms on their websites for every test to be conducted from March through May. Schools will accept these forms from parents up to the day of testing (See Albuquerque Public School website: http://www.aps.edu/schools/testing/student-testing to find forms and more information. Other school districts also have this information posted. Since this is the first round of PARCC testing, it is being used to establish a baseline for future tests. Students need to turn in these forms and simply “Opt out” of the tests. The schools have to provide alternative activities for them while others are testing. I urge all parents and students to “Opt Out”. Melanie Thomas/Albuquerque, NM.