Governing Board & Advisory Committee on College Readiness Special Joint Session College- and Career-Ready Determination Policy and Policy-Level Performance Level Descriptors October 25, 2012

The Governing Board and ACCR will be asked to approve both the College- and Career-Ready Determination Policy for English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA/Literacy) and Mathematics and the Policy-Level Performance Level Descriptors Objective 2

June 2012: Governing Board and ACCR discussed first draft of PLD/CRD policy; voted to release for public comment July 2012: PARCC released the draft PLD/CRD policy and sought public feedback through public and state-specific surveys September 2012: Governing Board/ACCR gave provisional approval to include career readiness in proposed policy September 2012: Held webinar with CTE community, released second survey with emphasis on career readiness language October 2012: Performance Level Operational Working Group members reviewed feedback and suggested revisions to policy Background 3

PARCC received almost 750 responses to the initial survey and 50 responses to a second survey including: – Over 1,300 unique comments – State-submitted feedback from key stakeholders Overall, the response to the PLD/CRD policy was supportive and positive – For each question, percentages of “strongly agree” and “agree” were between 62% and 78% (60% to 74% for the career-ready survey) The Performance Level Operational Working Group suggested revisions to the policy based on this feedback Summary of Feedback 4

CHANGE #1: CCR Determination Definition 5 Previous Language (June 2012 – First Draft, and July Draft Approved for Public Review) A student who is determined to be College Ready by PARCC is one who has demonstrated the academic knowledge, skills, and practices in English and mathematics necessary to enter directly into and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing courses in those content areas at two- and four-year institutions of higher education. Updated Language (October 2012) The PARCC CCR Determinations in ELA/literacy and mathematics describe the academic knowledge, skills, and practices in English language arts/literacy and mathematics students must demonstrate to show they are able to enter directly into and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing courses and relevant technical courses in those content areas at two- and four-year public institutions of higher education.

Rationale: – Substantial state and public feedback suggesting the inclusion of career-readiness language – PARCC Technical Advisory Committee supported and recommended the inclusion of career readiness language CHANGE #1: CCR Determination Definition 6

CHANGE #2: Scope of ELA/Literacy CCRD 7 Previous Language (June 2012 – First Draft) Students who earn a College-Ready Determination in English language arts/literacy will have demonstrated the academic knowledge, skills and practices necessary to enter directly into and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing courses in College English Composition and Literature. Previous Language (July 2012 – Draft Approved for Public Review) Students who earn a College-Ready Determination in English language arts/literacy will have demonstrated the academic knowledge, skills and practices necessary to enter directly into and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing courses in College English Composition, Literature, or other courses requiring college-level reading across a range of disciplines such as history and social sciences. Updated Language (October 2012) Students who earn a College- and Career-Ready Determination in ELA/literacy will have demonstrated the academic knowledge, skills and practices necessary to enter directly into and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing courses in College English Composition, Literature, or technical courses requiring college-level reading and writing.

Rationale: – Many colleges and universities do not currently use English placement tests to place students into courses outside English literature and composition – Including a broader range of courses would make the ELA/literacy CCRD more difficult to validate – In the long term, PARCC may validate the ELA/Literacy CCR Determination for other courses CHANGE #2: Scope of ELA/Literacy CCRD 8

CHANGE #3: Scope of Mathematics CCRD 9 Previous Language (June 2012 – First Draft, and July Draft Approved for Public Review) A student who is determined to be College Ready by PARCC is one who has demonstrated the academic knowledge, skills, and practices in College Algebra or Introductory Statistics necessary to enter directly into and succeed in entry-level, credit- bearing courses in those content areas at two- and four-year institutions of higher education. Updated Language (October 2012) Students who earn a College- and Career-Ready Determination in mathematics will have demonstrated the academic knowledge, skills and practices necessary to enter directly into and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing courses in College Algebra, Introductory College Statistics, or technical courses requiring an equivalent level of mathematics.

Rationale: – Some feedback suggested broadening the definition of entry-level, credit-bearing mathematics courses to include quantitative literacy or math for liberal arts students. – OWG recommends that additional courses should not be included and that PARCC should validate the CCRD in mathematics against College Algebra and Introductory College Statistics only, since the CCSS were back mapped from these courses. Options for Consideration: – Postsecondary institutions may use the CCRD in mathematics to place students into entry-level, credit-bearing mathematics course other than College Algebra and Statistics at the institution’s discretion – After initial implementation, PARCC may consider conducting future research on whether the CCRD should be validated for use in other courses CHANGE #3: Scope of Mathematics CCRD 10

CHANGE #4: Validation Statement 11 Previous Language (June 2012 – First Draft) At least 67 percent of the students earning a PARCC College-Ready Determination in Mathematics should earn at least a grade of B or its equivalent in College Algebra or Introductory Statistics, and at least 67 percent of the students earning a College-Ready Determination in English language art/literacy should earn at least a grade of B or its equivalent in College English Composition and Literature. Previous Language (July 2012 – Draft Approved for Public Review) At least 75 percent of the students earning a PARCC College-Ready Determination in Mathematics should earn at least a grade of C or its equivalent in College Algebra or Introductory Statistics, and at least 75 percent of the students earning a College-Ready Determination in English language art/literacy should earn at least a grade of C or its equivalent in College English Composition, Literature, or other courses requiring college-level reading across a range of disciplines such as history and social sciences. Updated Language (October 2012) Students who earn a PARCC College- and Career-Ready Determination by performing at level 4 in mathematics and enroll in College Algebra, Introductory College Statistics, or technical courses requiring an equivalent level of mathematics have approximately a 0.75 probability of earning college credit by attaining at least a grade of C or its equivalent in those courses. Students who earn a College- and Career-Ready Determination by performing at level 4 in ELA/literacy and enroll in College English Composition, Literature, or technical courses requiring college-level reading and writing have approximately a 0.75 probability of earning college credit by attaining at least a grade of C or its equivalent in those courses.

Rationale: – Some confusion caused by the original wording of the text so changes were made to provide greater clarity as to the intent of the validation statement. CHANGE #4: Validation Statement 12

CHANGE #5: Performance Level Descriptor Language 13 Previous Language (June 2012 – First Draft, and July 2012 – Draft Approved for Public Review) Level 5: Students performing at this level demonstrate a superior command of the knowledge, skills, and practices embodied by the Common Core State Standards assessed at their grade level. Level 4: … solid command … Level 3: … partial command … Level 2: … limited command … Level 1: … very limited command … Updated Language (October 2012) Level 5: Students performing at this level demonstrate a distinguished command of the knowledge, skills, and practices embodied by the Common Core State Standards assessed at their grade level. Level 4: … strong command … Level 3: … moderate command … Level 2: … partial command … Level 1: … minimal command …

Rationale: – Substantial state and public feedback received indicated that the original descriptors (superior/solid/partial/limited/very limited) were not sufficiently helpful in differentiating between the levels CHANGE #5: Performance Level Descriptor Language 14

October 25, 2012: Governing Board/ACCR votes on Policy-Level Performance Level Descriptors and College- and Career-Ready Determination Policy By end of October 2012: If policy approved, PARCC distributes press release and posts policy and supporting materials to website October-December 2012: Develop subject- and grade-specific Performance Level Descriptors December 13, 2012: Governing Board/ACCR discuss initial drafts of subject-and grade-specific Performance Level Descriptors Next Steps 15

The Governing Board and Governing State ACCR representatives vote to adopt PARCC College- and Career-Ready Determination Policy and the PARCC Policy-Level Performance Level Descriptors. Motion for Consideration 16