Multi-State Assessments Roll Out

Over the past few weeks, students in many states across the nation have begun trying out the assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards developed by two multi-state consortia - the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and Smarter Balanced. These high quality, computer-based K-12 assessments in Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy go way beyond bubble-in answers and rote learning to give teachers, schools, students and parents better information about whether students are on track in their learning and for success after high school, and tools to help teachers customize learning to meet student needs. Overall, educators, students and parents have responded positively to their early experiences with the assessments. Here are some of the best clips with links, excerpts and quotes:

Mansfield tests the PARCC test

By Rebecca Hyman, Mansfield News and Enterprise (Mansfield, MA)

April 4, 2014

"Anyone who thinks the PARCC test 'dumbs down' the high standards set by MCAS has it backwards, Mansfield School Superintendent Brenda Hodges said.

"'PARCC really has stepped it up,' Hodges said.

And,

"Hodges said, 'The biggest difference is MCAS is a test of minimal proficiency. PARCC measures the depth to which you understand. It measures mastery.'

And,

"'We're in a two-year timeline here to try out the PARCC assessment,' Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester said. 'The information we get back this year is mainly to improve the test.'

"Next year, schools will have a choice of administering either PARCC or MCAS.

"'That way we will have information from both tests that will allow us to compare and contrast both assessments and better understand how the PARCC test compares to MCAS,' Chester said."

State test rolls out without issue in Darien

By Megan Spicer, the Darien News (Darien, CT)

April 4, 2014

"The initial rollout of the Smarter Balanced Field Test was smooth in the Darien elementary and middle schools on Tuesday, according to Assistant Superintendent of Schools Tim Canty.

"Canty told the Board of Education Tuesday night that, aside from a few glitches with students logging in to begin the computer-based test, the implementation went well.

"'It was a relatively uneventful first day,' Canty said.

And,

"'By all accounts, students were comfortable,' Canty said. 'There was a comfort level today. I have to think we're one of the few districts to test all of our eighth-graders in one window during the morning.'

"Canty said some of the students at the middle school finished the exam faster than was anticipated.

"'Once the test started, it seemed seamless,' said board member Katie Stein, who echoed the minimal issues with students logging in to start the test.

"Board member David Martens said he asked his 12-year-old son how the test went on the first day and found that it went well.

New Jersey's Online PARCC Rollout Goes Off Without a Hitch

By John Mooney, NJ Spotlight

March 27, 2014

"'By and large, I am extraordinarily pleased and grateful to districts for the level of effort that schools have put into this,' said Bari Erlichson, the assistant state education commissioner who has overseen the rollout.

"She said there were some issues, mostly local ones as to whether one district or another had the right technology to complete the testing. Erlichson said it came down in some cases to issues as simple as whether certain Internet filters were in place.

"New Jersey had been explicit in allowing districts to use different operating systems and computers, all of which come with their own challenges, Erlichson said.

"'There were very local lessons learned,' she said yesterday. 'Things like whether virus filters were in the way, or the use of headphones.'

And,

"'This has been a confidence building moment for us, and for schools,' she said. 'New Jersey hasn't had a history of [online] testing in general, and this is confidence building for all of us.'"

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Achieve has developed materials to help states, districts, and others understand the organization and content of the standards and the content and evidence base used to support the standards. Visit www.achieve.org/achieving-common-core.

If you find a news clip supportive of the Common Core, please send it to Chad Colby at ccolby@achieve.org.