Protesters Demand End To PARCC, Common Core [Video]

A group of parents and educators descended on the New Bedford Public Schools Administration Building at 455 County St. Monday morning in protest of continued high stakes testing.

The group wanted to see the school system opt out of Common Core and discontinue use of the PARCC Test.

Ricardo Rosa, Co-Chair of the Committee To Save Our Schools, says the emphasis place on the test creates an overly rigid learning environment that comes at the cost of subjects that students enjoy and benefit from.

"It prevents teachers from being creative, from acting like professionals inside the classroom," said Rosa "we are no longer able to have classes that are really meaningful to connect kids to school, classes like art, classes like music, phys ed is being cut as a result of these testing regimes."

Rosa also says that thes forms of high stakes testing are being used to take funding away from public schools and further the expansion of charter schools.

"Tests are being used to dismantle schools, they're being used to privatize schools, to bring about more charters in public school districts, thereby minimizing the funding for our public school students," said Rosa "tests are being used for purposes of gentrification and...it's being used basically for many other reasons."

The protest at the Administration Building following an earlier protest at Betsey B. Winslow Elementary School.

Organizers say they plan to have another protest on Wednesday that will begin at the Casimir Pulaski Elementary before that protest also heads over to the Administration Building.