Topic: Parcc Tests

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.