Measuring College and Career Readiness in Grades 3 through 11. PARCC INFORMATION EVENING for YOU! Our Students’ Greatest Assets & Advocates! South Hunterdon Regional School District January 7, 2016

“New Jersey will educate ALL STUDENTS to prepare them to lead productive, fulfilling lives. Through a public education system that is seamlessly aligned from pre-school to college, students will gain the requisite academic knowledge and technical and critical thinking skills for life and work in the 21 st century.” VISION FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION IN NEW JERSEY

THE NJDOE ASKS… First and foremost... WE Understand that the “NEW” assessments, a.k.a TESTS ARE NOT... “He who shall not be named...” OR “The Scottish Play...” OR In any way, shape or form related to those “other” assessments, a.k.a. TESTS that the state administerd to measure student success in the 3rd through 8th grades OR Those “other” assessments, a.k.a. TESTS that the state administered to measure student success in the 11th grade

In 2015, New Jersey adopted the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) to replace HSPA and previous assessments (such as NJASK) in the elementary and middle school in language arts and mathematics. Students took PARCC English Language Arts and Literacy Assessments (ELA/L) in grades 3 – 11. Students took PARCC Mathematics Assessments in grades 3 – 8 and End of Course Assessments in Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. NEW JERSEY’S STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM

Designed to measure the COMMON CORE state standards that are guiding instruction in mathematics and English language arts. Focus on the skills students need in today’s world, including critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning. Because the PARCC tests measure these COMPLEX SKILLS, which are different from previous state tests, scores on the PARCC test will look lower.

Key Points to Remember… Brand new test: New style/format/setting/etc. for BOTH students and teachers Cannot be compared to any other tests previously taken PARCC sets a baseline for all students (3-6 at elementary level in school year) “This is just one measure of how well your child is performing academically. Other information, such as grades, teacher feedback and scores on other tests will help determine your child’s academic strengths and needs.” - PARCC Score Report

Key Points to Remember… Unable to compare groups (i.e. special education, ELL, etc.) to other like groups of students as we currently only have overall averages from the state and PARCC PARCC is as much a Norms based as a Criterion based assessment Access to specific questions/types of questions are not yet available (i.e. do not have access to see student specific strengths or struggles)

Statute, Code and Case Law Related to Student Participation in the State Testing Program

9 What makes PARCC different? Will help ensure all students, regardless of income or family background, have equal access to a world- class education to prepare them for success in college and careers. Serve as an educational GPS system, assessing where a student currently is and the best route to get to where they need to be by graduation so they are career and college ready. Will help students achieve, which will lead to a better-educated workforce, stronger communities and a more competitive United States. PARCC assessments: Not only evaluate a student’s progress, but also show teachers and parents where a student needs help so they are able to personalize instruction to meet individual student needs.

10 What makes PARCC different? It tests critical thinking, rather than rote memorization. The test goes well beyond the traditional bubble tests by measuring critical thinking and problem solving skills that are very important in college and the workforce. Other testsPARCC assessments Primarily use multiple-choice format that emphasizes memorization, “test prep” and guessing. Allow students to submit answers and detailed responses, eliminating guesswork and allowing students to show their thinking and knowledge. Test students’ rote learning. Assess students’ abilities to read carefully, communicate clearly and problem solve. Offer basic, one-step problems.Present challenging, multi-tiered problems. Are too vague to offer detailed insight to gauge students’ readiness for the next step toward success. Provide students, parents and educators detailed information so they can understand how students are progressing, where they need assistance and where they can be encouraged to do more.

 Level 1: Not yet meeting grade-level expectations  Level 2: Partially meeting grade-level expectations  Level 3: Approaching grade-level expectations  Level 4: Meeting grade-level expectations  Level 5:Exceeding grade-level expectations PARCC PERFORMANCE LEVELS

PARENT GUIDE TO THE SCORE REPORTS

The Essential Guide for PARCC Scores Your Child’s/Children’s & You

HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD

Test Environment Reviewing overall elementary scores, all grade levels exceed or are within 2 points of the PARCC average scores Students in grades 3rd-6th are being provided more access to Chromebooks Teachers have reviewed scores and are adjusting lessons accordingly Curricula needs are being identified. Changes are expected to be made such as the enVision Math program (Common Core Aligned) has been implemented

Initial Findings and Data Points English No 11th grade 5’s 90% in Reading and 58% in Writing Large discrepancy between Reading and Writing 8th and 9th grade were in line compared to academic performance Lack of Student engagement witnessed due to external social-political activities with Opt-Out Debate Observational Data Point: 14% of students did not take assessment seriously Nearly 20% of 11 th graders opted out of assessment Require non-extended time students to remain in testing to reflect and review and revise their work when they finish Need more reliable data points to see the specific writing and reading issues at hand Students write essay responses in the notepad and then copy and paste in response window

Test Environment Math Students’ grade level impacted Middle School students took assessment more seriously Students rushed test Testing materials for new assessment was not level appropriate Opt outs impacted negatively on school math scores percentages Nearly 20% of 11 th graders opted out of assessment Administer test later in the window to allow for more instructional time More 4’s in Algebra as it was most recently common core aligned Notify parents that we are working on curriculum alignment Change Math Sequence to Algebra I, Algebra II, and then Geometry

Closing Our approach last spring was to: MANAGE ADMINISTRATION and STUDENT COMFORT with assessment LAYOUT & QUESTIONS Place time and resources last year on web based test taking because it was completely new to students Administer the test early predicting technical glitches and student discomfort with the new testing environment AND This year we have scheduled test later in the window to gain instructional time This year curriculum will be closer aligned to assessment… especially in Math at the various grade levels 7 th through 11 th Grade

Overall times include Reading/Writing and Mathematics across all test units per grade

Note: AP Exams to occur May 2-13

24 Additional Parent Resources Take the Test! PARCC has a test online that parents and students can try. – PARCC offers information about the assessments including fact sheets, a glossary and sample test questions. – National Parent Teacher Association offers grade-by-grade parent guides for student success. Available in English and Spanish. – Finaid offers information about all types of financial aid for college. – Scholarships.com offers information on planning for college and careers. – action-plan / action-plan /