Anxiety and skepticism over whether all CPS schools will administer the new state-mandated PARCC test reached new heights this week as principals and teachers reported the delivery of boxes of tests to their buildings. “I’m trying to diffuse that [anxiety],” said Heather Yutzy, principal at Belding Elementary in Irving Park. “We had an LSC meeting, and the Pearson boxes had arrived an hour before the meeting. I had to tell them I still don’t know whether we’re going to give the test.”
The boxes of paper assessments were sent directly from Pearson, which may explain why CPS spokesman Bill McCaffrey said the district had not sent out any tests. On Friday afternoon, McCaffrey explained that the state sent tests to all elementary schools, though the district still plans to administer the assessment at just 66 yet-to-be-chosen schools.