SPRINGFIELD, MA – College professors were pitted against public school educators and parents over the question of changing the state’s main standardized exam from the MCAS to the new PARCC test during a public hearing Tuesday.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held its fifth and last hearing to discuss the proposed switch from public schools using the existing Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Systems exam to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for Colleges and Careers exam, which tests the federal Common Core standards Massachusetts public schools are currently using.