After day one of PARCC testing, the Department of Education says opt-outs had little impact on overall participation.
Education Superintendent John White points to preliminary findings across school districts showing nearly all eligible students took the new standardized tests Monday. "The overwhelming majority, nearly 99 percent of students took the test," said White.
Several small groups had railed against the new Common Core-aligned testing methods. White says there were a few concentrated areas that saw some students not participating. "Calcasieu Parish which makes up 4 percent of the state's student population, makes up about 50 percent of those not taking the PARCC tests," he said.
White says three other school districts - Central, Jackson, and Red River - had moderate to significant numbers of non-participants. He has invited superintendents from those districts to meet with him personally to discuss concerns about the new testing methods.
