1. 1 A Walk Through the PARCC Family PARCC night trainings Feb. 3 and 4

2. New Standards, New Tests 2 StandardsCurriculumAssessment Standards determine what every student should know and be able to do by the time they finish a grade. Curriculum guides teachers on when and how they should teach the standards to students during the school year. Assessments allow students to demonstrate that they know what they are supposed to know based on the standards.

3. The Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards (MDCCRS) City Schools began implementing curriculum aligned to theses standards 3 years ago. The standards incorporate the Common Core State Standards. They outline what students should know in Math and English Language Arts/Literacy from kindergarten to grade 12. They ensure students finish high school ready for success in college and are competitive in the workforce. They build on knowledge from the previous year. They enable teachers and students to go deeper into subjects. 3

4. PARCC Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers PARCC stands for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. City Schools will administer PARCC to measure what and how students are learning and their understanding of the new standards. PARCC replaces the HSA Algebra and HSA English 10 and adds a new assessment in Algebra II. HSA Biology and HSA Government will still be administered. 4

5. PARCC requires students to… 5 Show their work. Solve problems quickly and accurately. Solve real-world problems. Show they can read and understand complex texts. Write persuasively. Research and present findings. Show speaking and listening skills.

6. Past tests vs. PARCC tests Minimal to no writing Not connected to college and career readiness Results took awhile to get back Paper and pencil Writing in English and math Linked to college and career readiness Results are received quickly Mostly given on computer 6 Past Tests (MSA and HSA)PARCC

7. Compare test questions - Reading Read the writing prompt below and complete the writing activity: Jump out of bed! Look out the window! It is a perfect weather day! Write a story about a day when the weather seemed perfect. You have read two texts about famous people in American history who solved a problem by working to make a change. Write an article for your school newspaper describing how Eliza and Carver faced challenges to change something in America. In your article, be sure to describe in detail why some solutions they tried worked and others did not work. Tell how the challenges each one faced were the same and how they were different. 7 MSA: Grade 3 ReadingPARCC: Grade 3 Reading

8. Compare test questions - Math 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 of 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 of the pencils Bill received 1/4 of the pencils Carl received more than 1 pencil David received more pencils than Carl PART A: On the number line, represent the fraction of the total number of pencils 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 number of pencils did Carl and David each receive? Justify your answer. 8 MSA: Grade 5 MathPARCC: Grade 5 Math

9. When will my student take PARCC? 9 PARCC is given in two parts Performance Based Assessment (PBA) March 4 – April 2, 2015 ____________________________ End of Year Assessment (EOY) April 20-May 15 (High School) May 4-June 1 (Elementary and Middle School)

10. Which PARCC tests will my child take? 10 Grade and SubjectOnline or on Paper? 3 rd and 6 th Graders – English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics Paper 4 th, 5 th, 7 th and 8 th Graders – English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics Online Algebra I (Typically taken in the 9 th grade) Online English II (Typically taken in the 10 th grade) Paper Algebra II (Typically taken in the 11 th grade) Online PARCC WILL BE GIVEN TO STUDENTS IN GRADES 3 TO 11

11. Accessibility Features 11 Accessibility features that were once only available to some students will now be available to all students. These include features like highlighting, magnification, and the ability to eliminate answer choices. All students will have a “personal needs profile.” Any supports that teachers and administrators believe will benefit the students will be decided beforehand and will automatically turn on when the student logs onto the computer. These include color contrast and text to speech or a human reader for math.

12. Accommodations 12 PARCC provides all students with access to high quality assessments. Accommodations will still exist for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), 504 Plans, or English Language Learners The biggest change is that reading aloud “selected text,” for students with that accommodation, will no longer be allowed. Students will either qualify for the whole assessment to be read aloud or none of the assessment to be read aloud based on their specific disability. A comprehensive Parent’s Guide to accessibility features is available at www.baltimorecityschools.org/PARCC www.baltimorecityschools.org/PARCC

13. PARCC Results 13 PARCC results will give families, teachers, school leaders, and district staff important information about what we need to do and how we can work together to ensure that students stay on track. Results will allow comparisons to be made across schools, districts, and states. Since many other states are also administering assessments aligned to new standards, City Schools can learn from them what is working across the country, too. This year, results are expected in late fall/early winter of 2015. In the future, they will be available much sooner.

14. PARCC Results 14 Level 5Level 4Level 3Level 2Level 1 Is prepared for success in further studies in that content area (Likely) needs academic support to find success in further studies in that content area Needs extensive academic support for success in further studies in that content Student achievement on PARCC will be presented as levels.

15. How is City Schools preparing for PARCC? 15 Students have been preparing for PARCC for the past three years when the district implemented the new standards. Rigorous classroom instruction. School test coordinator at every school. In 2013-14, City Schools went from 6 to 136 schools taking a high- stakes assessment online. City Schools participated in a PARCC field test in spring 2014, which gave every school and many students a chance to get a sneak peak at the test. School staff has received regular professional development and support from the district to strengthen instruction and leadership.

16. How can you help to prepare your child for PARCC? 16 Ask “why”? Ask your child’s teacher if there is anything your child needs to work on at home. Practice fast facts and math fluency. Encourage your child to read independently every day. Practice typing skills. Take the test yourself: http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/

17. Resources 17 District website: www.baltimorecityschools.org/PARCC PARCC website: http://parcc.pearson.com From MSDE: http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/parcc/parents/

18. High School Appendix 18

19. Transition in Assessment Requirements for Graduation (as proposed by MSDE in December 2014) 19 Student took the course in: MathEnglishScience Social Studies 2012 or earlier Pass + HSA Algebra/Data Analysis Pass + HSA English 10 Pass + HSA Biology Pass + HSA Government 2013-14 Pass + HSA Algebra/Data Analysis Participate in PARCC English II Pass + HSA Biology Pass + HSA Government 2014-15 Participate in PARCC Algebra I Participate in PARCC English II Pass + HSA Biology Pass + HSA Government 2015-16 Participate in PARCC Algebra I Participate in PARCC English II Pass + HSA Biology Pass + HSA Government 2016-17 or after Pass + PARCC Algebra I Pass + PARCC English II Pass + HSA Biology Pass + HSA Government + in this case, pass means a passing score, a passing combined score, or completion of a Bridge project

20. College and Career Ready Determination 20 Starting in SY 2015-2016 If a student takes the PARCC Algebra II or PARCC English III (starting in SY 2015-2016) and achieves a passing score, they will receive a “college and career ready” determination. Over 700 colleges and universities have signed on to honor this determination which will exempt students from remediation courses. This will save them money and time in completing their degree!

21. Schools with Semester-Long Courses 21 Schools that have semester long courses will administer PARCC in those classes on a “block schedule” Semester 1 PARCC tests were give in December and January Semester 2 classes PARCC tests will be given in the following test window: PBA: April 13- May 8 EOY: May 4 – June 1 All Semester 1 PARCC tests were on paper. Semester 2 PARCC tests will be online for Algebra I & II and on paper for English II.