November 2013

WWhhaatt FFaammiilliiee ss NNeeeedd ttooKKnnooww AAbboouutt NNeeww TTeessttssiinn SScchhoooollss

Who Will take PARCCTests and When

17 states and the District ofColumbia are working togetherto develop better reading,writing and math tests for theirstudents

2

Tests are for grades 3-11

Field testing will take place in 2013-14for about 10 percent of students inPARCC states

Schools will administer tests broadly in2014-15

New Standards Require New Tests

• PARCCtests are aligned to the new Common Core StateStandards now in place in K-12 schools nationwide

• In most states, the outgoing tests were not linked to thesemore rigorous reading, writing, and math standards

• The Common State Core Standards are designed to betterprepare students for college and the workforce

3

Widespread Support AmongParents for PARCCRigor• PARCCtests are more

meaningful and challengingthan outgoing fill-in-the-bubble state tests

• They measure essentialskills,such as the ability tocommunicate effectively,reason well, and solve real-world problems

• Parents want the increasedrigor that comes withPARCC

4

More thantwo-thirds of

parents areworried that

their childrencould miss out onimportant future

opportunities unless theireducation becomes more

challenging.

Why We Need to Raise the Bar

• Only about a third of eighth-graders are meeting math andreading standards nationwide

• Half of U.S. students who entercommunity colleges needremedial coursework becausetheir schools haven’t preparedthem for success

• One in five students enteringfour-year college also isn’t readyto do college work

5

Every year…

1.7 millionentering college students need

remediation

Cost:

Over$3 billion

Data:Complete College America

The PARCCPromise:

Ready for College

6

• PARCC will signal in high schoolwhether students are prepared toenter college without needingremediation first

• Hundreds of colleges plan to usePARCC scores when placingfreshmen into courses

• Students who are off track in highschool will have time to get helpbefore graduating

Online Tests for an Online Era

• PARCC tests are computer-based and far moreengaging and innovative than outgoing paper-and-pencil state tests

• PARCC is flexible; can be administered on a variety ofdevices that schools can use for instruction

7

• Highlighting• Customized colors• Text to speech• Captions for audio• Home language supports/ tools• Braille (tactile/refreshable)• Signing supports (ASL)• Assistive technology

Meaningful Tests for All Students

8

Some PARCC features that will help students withdisabilities or those learning English show whatthey know and can do:

8

Meaningful Tests for All Students

• Outgoing state tests are too narrow, focusing on“the bubble,”or kids working in the middle of theperformance spectrum

• Old tests do a poor job assessing kids at the low andhigh ends of the achievement scale

• PARCC is designed to measure student performanceacross all ability levels

9

OutgoingtestsLow Achievement High Achievement

PARCC TEST

In Reading and Writing, StudentsWill Have To…

Show they can read and understandcomplex passages

Write persuasively

Conduct research and present findings

Demonstrate speaking and listening skills

10

In Math, Students Will Have To…

Show their work and demonstrate that theyunderstand a concept rather than simplymemorize a formula

Compute quickly and accurately

Apply their mathematical knowledge tosolve real-world problems

11

7 x 7 =49

Third Grade ExampleYou have read two texts about  famous people inAmerican history who solved a problem byworking to make a change  Write an article for your school newspaperdescribing how Eliza and Carver faced challenges tochange something in AmericaIn your article, be sure to describe in detailwhysome solutions they triedworked and others didnot work  Tell how the challenges each one faced were thesame and how they were different

Third Grade ExampleRead the writing prompt below andcomplete the writing activity:Jump out of bed!Look out the window!It isa perfect weather day!Write a story about a day when the weatherseemed perfect

Old Test vs. New TestSee the PARCCdifference for yourself

12

Writing prompt on an old,outgoing state test PARCC writing prompt

Old Test vs. New Test

13

See the PARCCdifference for yourself

5th Grade ExampleMr. Edmunds shared 12 pencils among his four sons asfollows:Alan received 1/ 3 of the pencilsBill received 1/4 of the pencilsCarl received more than 1pencilDavid received more pencils than CarlPARTA: On the number line, represent the fraction of thetotal number of pencils that was given to both Alan and Billcombined. Use the buttons on the right to increase ordecrease the number of equal sections on the number line.

PARTB. What fraction of the total number of pencils didCarl and David each receive? Justify your answer.

5th Grade ExampleThe town of La Paz, Bolivia, is inthe Andes mountains. Which ofthese units could be used todescribe the distance of thetown of La Paz above sea level?

A. DegreesB. FeetC. Cubic InchesD. Pounds

Math outgoing state test PARCC test

Approximately 1.5 days out of 180 days

PARCCMeans Time Spent Learning

• 8 to 9.5 hours over a year, forreading, writing and math

• Less than 1% of school year

• REPLACES outgoing tests, notgiven on top of them

• Items on PARCC mirror goodcoursework, so time onPARCC is time spent learning

14

Average annualper-pupil spending:

$10,600

Average annualPARCCtest cost

PARCC: Quality and Value

PARCC costs $29.50 perstudent annually for reading,writing and math.

• Slightly less than states’current median test costs

• Less than 1% of annualper-pupil spending

• Less than the cost of asingle textbook

15

Developed By Teachers• Thousands of teachers across PARCC states are helping develop

PARCC and review questions to ensure they yield meaningfulinformation

• Every item on PARCC will be reviewed by at least 30 experts

• Teachers, students, and parents will get test data back muchmore quickly under PARCC, making it easier to addressproblems in a timely way

16

Many Advantages of WorkingTogether Across PARCCStatesConsistent Expectations• Mastering high school math should not

mean two different things in twodifferent states

• Parents who move, including militaryfamilies, shouldn’t have to worry aboutwhether their child is on track

Economies of Scale• By banding together, states are

lowering the cost of producing fair andaccurate tests

17

To Learn More

www.parcconline.org

Common Core Resourceshttp:/ /www.pta.org/commoncore

18