By Abigail Villa

State testing has always been a struggle for both students and staff. This year has been no different. Much of the difficulty comes from the entire school testing during the same day. PHS is space limited, therefore having the entire school testing during the same days, and having all students log onto the computers to take the test at the same time, is a logistical nightmare.

The short practice during homeroom was an aid to alleviating some of the chaos of all students going to various testing locations. In the end it all works, which is a testament to the hard work of the staff who organized the test, and the students who patiently follow directions and do their best to complete a successful test.

This year was also hindered by a technical glitch that affected the entire state, forcing a wasted day of testing. On Wednesday of test week, all New Jersey schools testing from grades 3 to 11 were forced to postpone the test for a day, because a technical glitch that affected the entire state.

The problem was later found to be an issue with the testing platform provided by the Pearson company, the company that created the exam. David Hespe, the New Jersey Education Commissioner said, “This is not a problem on our end. This is a problem on Pearson’s end.”

David Buenofina, a junior who was taking the test said, “This is crazy. I can’t believe that they wasted a whole day of testing.” He commented on the fact that so much of the testing relies on technology which is unreliable sometimes.

Whether the test experience was smooth or complicated, it is a graduation requirement, so it must be taken seriously. It is odd to see a few students put their heads down after 40 minutes into the math sections. Mrs. Romero has stated that this is a graduation requirement and therefore must be taken seriously. No student can graduate unless they satisfy the testing graduation requirement.

One student who did take the test seriously was Kevin Espinoza. “The test was okay. While there was some stuff on there I haven’t seen before. I knew most of it,” said Kevin Espinoza. Other students stated much the same sentiment. While the test was difficult, it was something that teachers had prepared students to take.

The language portion of the PARCC exam was also rigorous. There were selections to read, essays and short responses to write, videos to watch and multiple choice questions to answer. The language section is also long and time consuming. Josephine Comano, a junior, said, “I can’t believe how long the selections were. I just kept going and working because I knew that I needed to do my best to pass this test.”

The last day of PARCC testing was extended due to two additional math sections that were added, so periods 3 and 4 were cut.  Students who had lunch those periods needed to eat, so they reported the gym for sandwitches which tasted really good after such a long day of testing.

After all the testing was done, the entire school community seemed to relax a bit. Like a pressure being released knowing that testing would be over for a while. Even though this testing experience is exhausting for everyone involved, PARCC is a requirement to graduation. The whole experience is stressful and a little painful, but it is worth it in the end.