Next month, New Jersey’s public schools will start the new PARCC student assessments, the next generation of state testing in language arts and math that will be administered online to students in grades three to 11.

There has been intense debate in the lead-up to the new testing. Supporters say it is needed to both help guide instruction under the Common Core State Standards and bring more intelligent accountability to schools. Critics say Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) will take more time and money and contribute to the over-testing of students that is robbing the creativity in schools.