For four days every school year, high school students must participate in the very much dreaded PARCC testing. This form of standardized testing is completed online: however, whether done online or on paper, no one wants to do it.

What is even more infuriating to students is that a passing grade on PARCC is a requirement for those who wish to graduate!

I hold strong to the opinion that PARCC testing should not be a requirement for high school students to graduate, for many reasons.

A test that students have little to no preparation for should not have such an impact on whether or not they are able to graduate. It is simply unfair and for those who have poor test taking skills or test anxiety, knowing how important their test results matter will negatively affect them.

Students should focus on completing the necessary course requirements and achieving high GPA’s rather than worrying about a standardized test, one which has no other importance other than ruining high school students’ lives.

I am not against students taking the PARCC test, however I firmly believe that it is unfair and unnecessary for it to be a requirement to graduate when there are several other factors that deem a student fully eligible to graduate.