Topic: Parcc

Reports from New Jersey teachers highlight significant technical failures and high stress levels associated with the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) standardized tests. Teachers describe Pearson's testing software skipping questions and suffering from login glitches, while administrators allegedly threaten educators' jobs based on student performance. The hosts link these issues to the broader implementation of Common Core standards funded by the Gates Foundation.

The implementation of Common Core's PARCC tests is driving a massive $5 billion upgrade in school wireless infrastructure, with Cisco and Google emerging as the primary beneficiaries. Schools are purchasing Chromebooks en masse to meet testing requirements, which the hosts argue serves to hook students into the Google ecosystem and data collection early. The segment suggests that these standardized tests are designed to "separate the wheat from the chaff" and identify elite students for the future economy.

A 12-year-old girl's testimony against PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) testing has gained national attention. She argues that the tests are confusing, lack single correct answers for interpretive text, and are prohibitively expensive for school districts. The hosts highlight the "computer-intensive" nature of the tests as a financial burden that benefits technology vendors.