Remove Refusers of PARCC from Testing Room

According to the PARCC 2015 testing manual, “non-testing students” and other “unauthorized visitors” are “prohibited from entering the testing environment.”

Although the Dumont School District has discussed security breaches over and over again, they seem to have ignored the written statements of this manual. Appendix C, the “State Policy Addendum,” pages 102-105, details New Jersey's specific policy.

In reference to sections 5.10 and 6.4:
“STC calls LEA Test Coordinator immediately to report student misconduct (i.e. refusing to test, disruptive behavior, unauthorized electronics, cheating.) STC completes testing irregularity/security breach form documenting situation and provides form to LEA Test Coordinator. LEA Test Coordinator contacts Office of Assessment immediately upon receiving call from STC. LEA Test Coordinator must upload completed testing irregularity/security breach form to PearsonAccess within two days.”

Allowing refusers to sit and "read" for the full testing time, is a great distraction and risk to the validity of the PARCC exam. If we are to assume that Test Administrators must follow the PARCC protocol that is outlined in the Test Coordinator Manual, students whose parents submit written refusal notifications should not be permitted in the testing environment. If administrators disregard PARCC protocol and knowingly place non-testing students in the testing room, those administrators must then, complete a testing irregularity/security breach form.

With great probability a student sitting longer than 30 minutes, with or without reading material, will become irritable. A great risk is being taken by the Dumont School system in allowing a refuser into the testing room.