1. Melinda J. Boone, Ed.D. Report of the Superintendent September 4, 2014 2014-15 State Assessment Recommendation: PARCC and/or MCAS Superintendent Evaluation Rubric Standard I Indicators IC, IE Standard II Indicator IIC Standard IV Indicator IVA

2. Timeline Date November 2013MA Board of Education endorses two-year “test drive” of PARCC Spring 2014PARCC 2013-14 field test administered statewide October 1, 2014Due date for district decision about PARCC/MCAS use in 2014-15 Spring 2015PARCC testing MCAS testing Fall 2015Results from PARCC and MCAS tests provided to students, parents and schools Fall 2015MA Board of Education expected to vote on whether to adopt PARCC as a replacement for MCAS 2016PARCC will be implemented statewide or a transition to another assessment will begin

3. 2014 PARCC Field Test Administered to 81,000 students statewide In the WPS, 2,100 students in 32 schools participated. Parent opt-outs and student refusals summary: Field Test Students Scheduled to be Tested Parent Opt-out Student Refusal Percent Opt-out or Refusal Performance-based Assessment (3/24-4/11) 11654914.3 End-of-Year Assessment (5/5-6/6) 1337139710.9 Total250218887.8

4. District decisions for 2014-15 In 2014-15, Massachusetts school systems have the choice to administer MCAS or PARCC tests in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics to students in grades 3-8. Students through the class of 2018 must continue to take and pass the Grade 10 MCAS tests to meet the state graduation requirement – but districts may also be able to administer PARCC subject tests in grades 9 and 11. For most districts, the choice to administer PARCC or MCAS is being made at the district level. However, the DESE has provided the state’s three largest districts (Boston, Springfield, Worcester) with the additional option of making this decision on a school-by-school basis (hybrid option).

5. Over view of decision-making process The Administration met with principals in Spring 2014 to clarify options, seek input and answer questions. In addition to the choice between PARCC and MCAS for grades 3-8: If PARCC is administered by a school, will it administer computer-based tests (CBT) or paper-based tests (PBT)? If PARCC is administered by a school serving 8 th grade students, how many 8 th graders, if any, would take the Algebra I PARCC test instead of the grade 8 PARCC Mathematics test? At the high school level, will grade 9 and/or grade 11 students participate in the PARCC subject tests (pending availability of state funding)? If so, how many? Over the summer, principals were asked to indicate their preference for their school. A district decision needs to be reported to the DESE by October 1.

6. Considerations Reporting of results: Students, schools, and parents Accountability: “Held harmless” provision School technological readiness Student technology skills Opportunity for students and schools to experience PARCC vs. “Wait and see” Training of staff

7. Preferences of WPS School Principals for Spring 2015 Of the 39 schools in the district that serve students in grades 3-8 16 schools (41%) have indicated a preference to continue using MCAS 23 schools (59%) have indicated a preference to use PARCC o18 schools would administer paper-based PARCC tests o5 schools would administer computer-based tests At the high school level, 3 of the 7 schools serving grade 9-12 students have indicated a preference to test some grade 9 or 11 students using the PARCC high school tests. Of the schools serving 8 th grade students, one school would like to administer the PARCC Algebra I test to students who have taken the course as 8 th graders.

8. Recommendation The Administration recommends to the School Committee that the hybrid option, including school selection of PARCC or MCAS per Appendix A of the Report of the Superintendent, be approved for Spring 2015.