PARCC testing system crashes in NJ, report

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - The controversial standardized tests known in New Jersey as PARCC were reportedly not administered as planned Wednesday in the Garden State.

The computer system that allows students access to the tests crashed, reported the Press of Atlantic City and the Asbury Park Press.

N.J. Education Commissioner David Hespe told the Assembly Budget Committee Wednesday morning that they had been notified by Pearson, the company that developed PARCC, that they were experiencing difficulties, according to PressOfAtlanticCity.com.

The tests were expected to resume in New Jersey on Thursday.

No other states were affected, according to a spokeswoman for PARCC.

"We sincerely apologize and we are doing everything possible to get the system back up," said Deputy Commissioner Peter Shulman in email to schools.

PARCC, or Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, is the state's newest standardized exam in math and language arts.

Parents and students across the country have been critical of the exams saying students are being taught to a test and not to a broader curriculum.