Key features in PARCC… http://www.achieve.org/PARCCsummary Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Highlights from the PARCC Summary http://www.achieve.org/PARCCsummary

States will adopt common assessments and performance standards.

Assessment system will be anchored in college and career readiness. Higher-education faculty will play a key role in defining what it means to be college-ready. Assessments in grades 3-8 will measure whether students are on track to achieve readiness by high school graduation.

“Through-course assessments” Students will take parts of the assessment at key times during the year. Through-course assessments in each grade will be combined with more stream-lined end-of-the-year tests to produce a more complete picture of student performance. These assessments will measure student learning closer to the time when classroom instruction takes place and will give feedback throughout the year, allowing educators to adjust instructional practices or give extra support to students who need it. Assessment will be embedded in instruction by administering through-course assessments in grades 3 thru high school in both English and Math Through-course assessments will occur after approximately 25% and 50% of the instructional time has passed. A longer performance-based task will occur when approximately 75% of the instructional time has passed. Summative assessment will occur on the computer after approximately 90% of the instruction is completed. A student’s score will be a combined score consisting of the three through-course assessments and the summative assessment. The PARCC partnership plans to use all four required components to calculate weighted annual combined scores. The combined results will be back quickly enough to be placed on the student’s report card. “Through-course assessments”

Assessments will be computer based. Technology plays a powerful role in students’ lives. Unfortunately, it is US that can’t keep up! The majority of the new assessments will be designed to be administered by computer. This will enable faster turnaround of results AND it will allow for innovations in testing by leveraging new technologies. EX: adjusting to a student’s level grading by artificial intelligence Moving to computer-based testing will also reduce costs for states.

Assessments will include sophisticated items and performance tasks. Assessments, both the end-of-year and through-course, will include challenging performance tasks and innovative, computer-enhanced items that elicit complex demonstrations of learning and measure the full range of knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in college and 21st century careers. The assessments will help model effective classroom instruction.

Goal of Next Generation Assessments To develop assessments that don’t simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test, but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking and entrepreneurship and creativity.

It is important to note here that students in Arkansas are already accustomed to explaining their thinking. Do you know that Arkansas is one of only ________ states that currently requires students to write?

Beyond the Bubble Tests: The Next Generation of Assessments Http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/ “I am convinced that this new generation of state assessments will be an absolute game-changer in public education.” ---Education Secretary Arne Duncan September 2, 2010

Intended Outcomes of PARCC Assessments Report achievement based on clear expectations; ability to compare across state lines Use results in school accountability determinations and educator evaluations Integrate assessment system with standards, curriculum, resources, and professional work Rapid use of data to guide instruction