VISION COUNCIL FEBRUARY 11, 2015 PARCC For Parents

Brief History of NJ Standards and Assessments 1978 Minimum Basic Skills (MBS). Grades 3, 6, 9 in math/reading High School Proficiency Test (HSPT9). Grade 9 students in math/reading High School Proficiency Test (HSPT11) and Early Warning Test (EWT8) in math/reading Adoption of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS). Associated testing in grade 4 (ESPA), grade 8 (GEPA) and grade 11 (HSPA).

Brief History of NJ Standards and Assessments 2002 No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Associated testing in grades 3,4,5,6,7,8, and National Governors’ Association (NGA) and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) publish Benchmarking for Success and ask for federal incentives for CCSS and (eventually) PARCC USDOE announces that NCLB “waivers” and RTTT money is available only to states that adopt Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Brief History of NJ Standards and Assessments 2010 states adopt CCSS in math and language arts.  NCLB waiver  RTTT funds 2011 NJ enters PARCC testing consortium with 24 states states remain in PARCC.  AR, CO, IL, LA, MD, MA, *MS, NJ, NM, NY, OH, RI *Mississippi will drop out of PARCC for 15/16 school year

PARCC Performance Based Assessment (PBA) – administered at 75% mark of school year. This year in NJ: March End of Year Assessment (EOY) – administered at 90% mark of school year. This year in NJ: April 27 – May 22.

PARCC - Performance Levels Level 5: Distinguished Command Level 4: Strong Command Level 3: Moderate Command Level 2: Partial Command Level 1: Minimal Command Level 4 is the proposed level for earning a “College and Career Readiness” determination

NJASK to PARCC NJASK (old)PARCC (new) Paper and pencilOnline One week per grade per yearTwo weeks per grade per year Data returned to districts in AugustData returned to districts in October Aligned to CCSS Three levels of proficiencyFive levels of proficiency 200 point scale ( )80 point scale (undetermined) Passing rate set at 200 every yearPassing rate not determined until after assessment is completed Not aligned with higher educationAligned with public universities in member states Students compared to peers statewide Students compared to peers statewide and in all member states (12)

PARCC ELA Expectations In reading and writing, students will have to show they can read and understand complex passages, write persuasively, and present findings based on research.

NJASK vs. PARCC NJASK Writing Prompt -Grade 3 PARCC Writing Prompt -Grade 3 Jump out of bed! Look out the window! It is a perfect day! Write a story about a day when the weather seemed perfect. You have read two texts about famous people in American history who have solved a problem by working to make a change. Write an article for your school paper describing how Eliza and Carter faced challenges to change something in America. Be sure to describe why some solutions worked and others did not work.

NJASK vs. PARCC NJASK Vocabulary - Grade 4 PARCC Vocabulary – Grade 4 “Billy was a trifle dizzy, but he soon got over this.” What does “a trifle dizzy” mean in this sentence? a.Never b.Mostly c.Trivial d.Title Part A: What is the meaning of the word “avenge” as it is used in the story? a.Believe b.Make friends with c.Get even d.Scare Part B: Which detail from the story best supports your answer to Part A? a.“In this forest, I am the chief of the animals!” b.“I don’t believe you, little insect,” snarled Cougar. c.“Ahrr! Ahrr!” cried the cougar in pain. “Get out of my ear!”

PARCC math expectations In math, students will have to show their work and demonstrate they understand a concept, rather than simply memorize a formula; they will have to apply math knowledge to real world problems.

NJASK vs. PARCC NJASK Math – Grade 5 PARCC Math – Grade 5 The town of La Paz, Bolivia, is in the Andes Mountains. Which of these units could be used to describe the distance of the town La Paz above sea level? a.Degrees b.Feet c.Cubic inches d.Pounds Mr. Edmunds shared 12 pencils among his four sons as follows: Alan received 1/3 Bill received 1/4 Carl received > 1 pencil David received more than Carl Part A: On the number line, represent the fraction of the total that was given to both Alan and Bill combined. Use the buttons on the right to increase or decrease the number of equal sections on the number line. Part B: What fraction of the total did Carl and David each receive? Justify your answer.

Purpose of Administering the PARCC Determine whether students are on track to be ready for college/careers after high school. Report results across schools, districts, and member states. Generate growth data for students, teachers, schools, districts, and member states.

How Can I Help at Home? Practice basic (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) math skills. Encourage children to develop more than one strategy for solving math problems. Plenty of writing. Good night of sleep evening before PARCC (no electronics) and good breakfast. Keep a positive attitude.

PARCC FAQs Can my child “opt out” of the PARCC? No, Commissioner Hespe sent all superintendents a memo on October 30, 2014 indicating that this is not an option. What type of device will my child be using to complete the PARCC? During the summers of 2013 and 2014, HTS invested in approximately 60 new desktop computers. Although, we have plenty of wireless access points, these PCs will be hard wired.

PARCC FAQs Is HTS ready for this new assessment? Yes, during the last three years we have made many changes to our district to make certain we are ready for the PARCC:  Aligning curricula to CCSS  Aligning instructional practices to CCSS and PARCC  Practice PARCC exams  Articulation meetings and professional development  Technology infrastructure  Extra class periods of math and ELA

Links and Resources NJDOE Assessments: PARCC parent page: PARCC practice tests: Common Core State Standards: