So far, 15 opt out of taking PARCC Exam in Vermilion Parish

Parents in school districts across Louisiana are opting their children out of the PARCC test, the test associated with Common Core standards. Vermilion Parish is no exception.
As of Friday, a total of 15 students in Vermilion Parish have signed a waiver to opt out of taking the PARCC test.
The PARCC will be administered in two parts. Part 1 will be given March 16-20. Part 2 will be given May 4-7. The test will be given to students from the third to the eighth grade.
The school with the most students opting out is Rene Rost Middle in Kaplan. The school has 6 students. With 4 is FIEB students, and Kaplan Elementary has 3 students.
Two Kaplan schools have seven out of the 15 students. North Vermilion Middle and LeBlanc Elementary each have one student.
School Superintendent Jerome Puyau said it is a parent’s right to make that choice.
A group of parents who are concerned about their students taking the PARCC test gathered at New Life Church to listen to Lee Parrios, a former Louisiana teacher who is against Common Core and PARCC test.
Just under 50 parents and school board member Luddy Herpin attended to hear her speak about the PARCC test. She explained to the parents that the score the student makes on the test will not hurt the academic standards of the student. In other words, the student can not pass or fail the test.
But where the test does come into play is how school will be graded based on the results of how well or how not so well they score.
The school will get a zero for each student who does not take the test. A zero equals to an F. The more students who do not take the test, the more Fs the school will have. The more Fs will drive down the school’s performance grade.
“You (student who opts out of testing) are going to be the blame if the school’s performance scores go down,” said Parrios. “What schools are concerned about is that most of the students who are opting out, are the high performance students. So, not only will the school get a zero, but they won’t have the benefit of a high score if your student opts out.”
This is the first year public students have to take the PARCC exam, so no one knows exactly what will be on the test, she said.
“I don’t advise parents to opt out or not to opt out,” she added. “I informed them. That is why I am here. I am here to give you information. Every decision to make is a personal one.
“I personally think it is a great opportunity to opt out. Here is what you should consider when you are making this decision, the score your child makes will go on his or her permanent academic record. Do you want that?”
School districts across the state are handling opting out in different ways,
In Caddo Parish, Keith Burton, the chief academic officer of Caddo Parish Public schools, was quoted as saying if a student does not take the PARCC test, the student does not pass to the next grade.