PARCC 101 The Basics

The Common Core State Standards lay the foundation toward ensuring that students are ready for college and career.

PARCC will provide information to determine how students are progressing in that learning. States, districts, schools, and teachers can use this information to inform Student Interventions Systemic changes Curricular and instructional changes

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) TALKING POINTS PARCC is an alliance of 24 states, educating nearly 25 million students, that are working together to develop a common set of K-12 assessments in English and math anchored in what it takes to be ready for college and careers. PARCC is led by 17 governing board states (and D.C.) represented in Dark Blue. CLICK: The chair of the governing board is Mitchell Chester, Education Commissioner of Massachusetts, and the state of Florida is serving as its fiscal agent. CLICK: Achieve is the project manager for PARCC, essentially serving as the staff for the consortium and coordinating the work. Collectively the PARCC states educate nearly 25 million students. Governing States will pilot and field test the assessment system components over the next three years and administer the new assessment system during the 2014-15 school year. Governing States will use the results from the PARCC assessments in their state accountability systems The chief state school officers of the Governing States serve on the PARCC Governing Board and make decisions on behalf of the Partnership on major policies and operational procedures Participating States (light blue) provide staff to serve on PARCC’s design committees, working groups, and other task forces established by the Governing Board to conduct the work necessary to design and develop PARCC’s proposed assessment system. By 2014–15, any state that remains in PARCC must commit to statewide implementation and administration of the Partnership’s assessment system Any PARCC Participating State prepared to make the commitments and take on the responsibilities of a Governing State can become one NOTES Governing Board: Comprised of K-12 chiefs from Governing Board States Technical Advisory Committee: Comprised of state/national assessment experts Leadership Team: Comprised of delegates of K-12 chiefs from Governing Board States (e.g., Assoc. Supt for Curriculum, Assessment and/or Instruction) ACCR: Comprised of national and state postsecondary leaders Operational Working Groups: Comprised of national, state, and local experts and leaders in their specific areas of expertise

The PARCC Goals Create high-quality assessments Build a pathway to college and career readiness for all students Support educators in the classroom Develop 21st century, technology-based assessments Advance accountability at all levels Build an assessment that is sustainable and affordable

Goal #1: Create High Quality Assessments Determine whether students are college- and career-ready or on track Assess the full range of the Common Core Standards Measure the full range of student performance, including the high and low performing students Provide data during the academic year to inform instruction, interventions and professional development Provide data for accountability, including measures of growth Incorporate innovative approaches throughout the system

2 Optional Assessments/Flexible Administration Assessment Design English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, Grades 3-11 Performance-Based Assessment (PBA) Extended tasks Applications of concepts and skills Required End-of-Year Assessment Innovative, computer-based items Required 2 Optional Assessments/Flexible Administration Diagnostic Assessment Early indicator of student knowledge and skills to inform instruction, supports, and PD Non-summative Mid-Year Assessment Performance-based Emphasis on hard-to-measure standards Potentially summative PARCC states are developing an assessment system comprised of four components. Each component will be computer-delivered and will leverage technology to incorporate innovations. Two summative, required assessment components designed to Make “college- and career-readiness” and “on-track” determinations Measure the full range of standards and full performance continuum Provide data for accountability uses, including measures of growth Two interim, optional assessment components designed to generate timely information for informing instruction, interventions, and professional development during the school year In English language arts/literacy, an additional required, non-summative component will assess students’ speaking and listening skills Speaking And Listening Assessment Locally scored Non-summative, required

Non-Summative Optional Assessment Components Optional Assessments/Flexible Administration Diagnostic Assessment designed to be an indicator of student knowledge and skills so that instruction, supports and professional development can be tailored to meet student needs Mid-Year Assessment comprised of performance-based items and tasks, with an emphasis on hard-to-measure standards. After study, individual states may consider including as a summative component Diagnostic Assessment Early indicator of student knowledge and skills to inform instruction, supports, and PD Mid-Year Assessment Performance-based Emphasis on hard to measure standards Potentially summative TALKING POINTS Graphic depiction of the assessment system. The PARCC assessment system will: Better reflect the sophisticated knowledge and skills found in the English and math Common Core State Standards Include a mix of item types (e.g., short answer, richer multiple choice, longer open response, performance-based) Make significant use of technology Include testing at key points throughout the year to give teachers, parents and students better information about whether students are on track or need additional support in particular areas 8

Summative Assessment Components Performance-Based Assessment (PBA) Extended tasks Applications of concepts and skills End-of-Year Assessment Innovative, computer-based items Performance-Based Assessment (PBA) administered as close to the end of the school year as possible. The ELA/literacy PBA will focus on writing effectively when analyzing text. The mathematics PBA will focus on applying skills, concepts, and understandings to solve multi-step problems requiring abstract reasoning, precision, perseverance, and strategic use of tools End-of-Year Assessment (EOY) administered after approx. 90% of the school year. The ELA/literacy EOY will focus on reading comprehension. The math EOY will be comprised of innovative, machine-scorable items TALKING POINTS Graphic depiction of the assessment system. The PARCC assessment system will: Better reflect the sophisticated knowledge and skills found in the English and math Common Core State Standards Include a mix of item types (e.g., short answer, richer multiple choice, longer open response, performance-based) Make significant use of technology Include testing at key points throughout the year to give teachers, parents and students better information about whether students are on track or need additional support in particular areas 9

Goal #2: Build a Pathway to College and Career Readiness for All Students K-2 formative assessment being developed, aligned to the PARCC system Timely student achievement data showing students, parents and educators whether ALL students are on-track to college and career readiness College readiness score to identify who is ready for college-level coursework Targeted interventions & supports: 12th-grade bridge courses PD for educators K-2 3-8 High School SUCCESS IN FIRST-YEAR, CREDIT-BEARING, POSTSECONDARY COURSEWORK The PARCC assessment system will be aligned to the college- and career-ready, Common Core State Standards, and is being designed to challenge students, help identify when they’re not meeting the standards, and provide targeted instruction, supports and interventions to help them succeed Students who score proficient on the assessments will know they are on track for the next steps in their education, creating a more meaningful target In high school, results will send an early signal about whether students are ready for entry-level, non-remedial courses at higher education institutions in all 24 PARCC states Students who are identified as not being on track, or who do not meet the college readiness score, will receive targeted supports and interventions Higher education partners in PARCC—nearly 200 institutions and systems covering over 8,50 campuses across the country—have committed to help develop the high school assessments and set the college-ready cut score that will be used to place incoming freshman in credit-bearing college courses ONGOING STUDENT SUPPORTS/INTERVENTIONS

Goal #3: Support Educators in the Classroom INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS TO SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODULES K-12 Educator TALKING POINTS The PARCC assessments will be built with the K-12 educator in mind around four different areas. (CLICK) INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS TO SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION Model Content frameworks Sample assessment tasks Model instructional units PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODULES Common Assessment 101-103: PD focused on the implementation the new assessments Common Assessment 201-204: PD focused on how to interpret and use the assessment results TIMELY STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT DATA Aligned performance-based assessments given throughout year Data reports will be available, designed with teacher use in mind EDUCATOR-LED TRAINING TO SUPPORT “PEER-TO-PEER” TRAINING Training for cadres of K-12 educators around the instructional tools AND around training their peers to use the instructional tools TIMELY STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT DATA EDUCATOR-LED TRAINING TO SUPPORT “PEER-TO-PEER” TRAINING

Goal #3: Instructional Supports and Tools Support implementation of the CCSS; support development of assessment blueprints; provide guidance to state, district- and school-level curriculum leaders in the development of aligned instructional materials Released November 9, 2011; Re-Release late June; Final in August. www.parcconline.org/parcc-content-frameworks Model Content Frameworks Model Instructional Units Model Content Frameworks: The Model Content Frameworks for English language arts/Literacy (ELA/literacy) and Mathematics aim to serve as a bridge between the standards and the PARCC assessments. The Model Content Frameworks are voluntary and are not intended to be curricula or scopes and sequences. Rather, they provide further articulation of the key shifts in the CCSS and their connection to the PARCC assessment system. The frameworks can be useful to states and districts as they engage in professional development and in their own curricular development efforts. The Model Content Frameworks were developed through a collaborative state-led process that included mathematics and ELA/literacy content experts in PARCC member states and members of the Common Core State Standards writing team; PARCC helped manage this process. The development process included three rounds of review, including a public review in which about two-thirds of the nearly 2,000 comments were submitted by K-12 educators. In Spring 2012, PARCC will once again solicit feedback from educators and the public to refine the frameworks as necessary. The updated Model Content Frameworks will be available Summer 2012. Audience: State and local curriculum directors (primary audience) ; teachers Model Instructional Units: Any model instructional units developed by PARCC will be voluntary and aim primarily to provide a common illustration of how the Common Core may be organized and taught in the classroom. The model instructional units will reflect, build on, and fill gaps in existing or in-process state-developed model units aligned to the Common Core State Standards and the PARCC assessments. The model units will be developed with educator input to ensure PARCC is developing materials that are most useful to educators. The model units will add to the robust set of instructional materials being developed across PARCC states, individually and collectively. The units will serve as resources that teachers can use in their classroom but will also serve as models for teachers and curriculum directors to use as they develop additional materials aligned to the CCSS. Audience: Teachers; local and state curriculum directors Provide educators with examples of ways to implement the CCSS in schools; allow for the development and sharing of ideas for instructional implementation of the CCSS; encourage development of additional PARCC tools Expected Spring 2013 Professional Learning Modules Model Instructional Units

Goal #3: Supports and Tools (continued) Develop models of innovative, online-delivered items and rich performance tasks proposed for use in the PARCC assessments. Expected Summer 2012 Item and Task Prototypes One-stop shop for PARCC resources; provide an online warehouse for all PARCC tools and resources as well as other instructional material being developed by PARCC states and districts and national organizations Expected Spring 2013 Partnership Resource Center Develop professional development modules focused on assessments to help teachers, school and district leaders, and testing coordinators understand the new assessment system and use of the data Expected Fall 2013 Professional Development Modules

Goal #4: Develop 21st Century, Technology-Based Assessments PARCC’s assessment will be computer-based and leverage technology in a range of ways: Develop innovative tasks that engage students in the assessment process Streamline administration by reducing paperwork, increase security, reduce shipping/receiving & storage Increase access to and provision of accommodations for SWDs and ELLs Make scoring more efficient by combining human and automated approaches Produce timely reports of students performance throughout the year to inform instructional, interventions, and professional development

Goal #5: Advance Accountability at All Levels PARCC assessments will be purposefully designed to generate valid, reliable and timely data, including measures of growth, for various accountability uses including: School and district effectiveness Educator effectiveness Student placement into college-credit bearing courses Comparisons with other state and international benchmarks PARCC assessments will be designed for other accountability uses as states deem appropriate

Timeline Through First PARCC Administration in 2014-2015 PARCC Tools & Resources Partnership Resource Center launched Professional development modules released K-2 Formative Tools Released College-ready tools released Diagnostic assessments released Summative PARCC Assessments Spring 2013 Summer Winter 2014 Fall Winter 2015 Spring 2015 Pilot/field testing begins Model Instructional Units Released Expanded field testing of diagnostic assessment Expanded field testing Optional Diagnostic and Midyear PARCC Assessments Standard Setting in Summer 2015 PARCC Assessment Implementation