Teachers Say Schools, Students Aren’t Tech-Ready For PARCC

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers says 87 percent of teachers surveyed say their schools don't have the technology required for all students to take the PARCC exam, an online test tied to the new Common Core standards.

LFT spokesperson Les Landon says more than 1,000 teachers were surveyed, and the results should be seen as a red flag.

"It's an old story in Louisiana," Landon said. "Officials ought to — but seldom do — listen to the experts in the classroom before they embark on ambitious new programs."

Landon says the survey also found most teachers believe their students do not have the computer skills necessary to take online tests. He says this could pose a problem when it comes to judging what a student really knows based on the online tests.

"Unless we know that schools have the right technology and the kids the keyboarding skills, it's unfair to the kids and the schools to impose online testing on them," Landon said.

Louisiana's Department of Education says more than three-fourths of the state's public schools are meeting minimum technology expectations, and the districts that still need to upgrade will be allowed to administer paper-based PARCC tests.