Understanding PARCC February

Why Higher Standards and New Assessments Now? By the year 2020, 65% of all jobs will require some postsecondary education or training. To ensure future economic sustainability, we must prepare all students to access postsecondary opportunities: 1/3 of college freshmen need remedial courses  The PARCC assessment system will impact 21 million students. 8 million of these students attend Title I schools.  CCSS and PARCC have the potential to substantially improve educational equity, postsecondary opportunity, and economic mobility when implemented with fidelity by K-12 and embraced by postsecondary institutions. 2

By States…for States 2 17 states plus DC 15 million students in tested grades Aligned to the Common Core State Standards Developed by educators in nearly two dozen states field testing roll out

By Educators for Students 4 Thousands of K-12 educators are leading test development More than 1,000 educators serve as PARCC Educator Leader Cadre members, spearheading professional development Hundreds of faculty from colleges and universities are working side by side with their K-12 colleagues

Tests Worth Taking More challenging than current tests Next-generation design Measures college and career readiness Aligned to the Common Core State Standards Measures reading, writing, and mathematics—with a focus on critical thinking Timely data for students and teachers Comparable scores across states 5

PARCC is committed to the following principles: Use Universal Design principles to create accessible tests Measure the full range of complexity of the CC standards Use technology to make the assessment highly accessible Conduct bias and sensitivity reviews of all items Promoting Student Access 6

Supporting Classroom Teachers 7 INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS TIMELY ACHIEVEMENT DATA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT “PEER-TO-PEER” LEARNING K–12 Educators

PARCC Assessment Design: The Basics 8

Assessments ELA/Literacy and Mathematics, Grades 3–11 Beginning of School Year End of School Year Diagnostic Assessment Mid-Year Assessment Performance- Based Assessment End-of-Year Assessment Speaking and Listening Assessment OptionalRequired Key: Flexible administration 9

Getting All Students College and Career Ready K–2Grades 3–8 High School Voluntary K–2 assessment being developed, aligned to the Common Core State Standards Timely data showing whether ALL students are on track for college and career readiness College readiness score to identify who is ready for college-level coursework Success In first-year, credit-bearing, postsecondary coursework Targeted interventions and supports: State-developed 12th- grade bridge courses Ongoing student support/interventions Professional development for educators 10

Performance Levels PARCC will have 5 performance levels Each of the proposed performance levels includes: – Policy claims, which describe educational implications for students at a particular performance level. – General content claims, which describe academic knowledge and skills students across grade levels performing at a given performance level are able to demonstrate. 11

PARCC Assessment Development: State Educator Led Design 12

State Led Design and Development PARCC Assessments developed by the states for the states K-12 and postsecondary State educator and content expert led test development State developed college-ready standards State led engagement process: Higher Education and K12 State-developed College and Career Readiness Determination and on-track measures Educators in the PARCC consortium can trust that test items reflect the Common Core State Standards and the quality expectations of teachers in their states

State Educators Review Every Item

Bias and Sensitivity Review Purpose: Review test materials for potential sources of bias and stereotypes. Apply professional test development standards to ensure materials are fair and not insensitive or offensive Guiding Questions for Bias and Sensitivity Review: Does the passage/item/task disadvantage any population (gender, race, ethnicity, language, religion, socioeconomic status, disability or geographic region) for non-educationally relevant reasons? Does the passage/item/task contain controversial or emotionally charged subject matter that is not supported by the Common Core State Standards? Is the passage/item/task potentially offensive, demeaning, insensitive, or negative toward any population? Does the passage/item/task depict any population in a stereotypical manner? 15

Timeline Through First PARCC Administration in Results of Field Test Research Studies Will be Released All Phase 1 Items Completed and in the Item Bank for the Field Test Field Test Administered to over 1 Million Students: Performance Based Assessments: March –April End of Year Assessments: May-June Schools and Districts Notified of Selection for Field Testing Practice Test Available on PARCConline.org Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Summer 2014 Fall 2014 Winter 2013 Winter 2014 PARCC Assessment Implementation Phase II Item Development Will be Completed Spring 2015 Summer st Year Assessment Administration Fall 2014: Performance-Based and End of Year for Block Schedules 1st Year Assessment Administration Spring 2015: Performance- Based and End of Year Standard Setting Conducted and Scores for 1st Operational Assessments Released 16

Item Development: Innovative Items Aligned to the Common Core State Standards 17

What is Different About PARCC’s Development Process? PARCC states first developed the Model Content Frameworks to provide guidance on key elements of excellent instruction aligned with the Standards. Then, those Frameworks informed the assessment blueprint design. Aligned evidence statements and task models followed. So… PARCC is designing the assessments around exactly the same content shifts the standards expect of teachers and students. PARCC is communicating in the same voice to teachers as it is to assessment developers 18

Key Advances of the Common Core ANCHORED IN COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS 19

Model Content Frameworks: A Tool for Teachers Available in math and ELA/literacy and serve as a guide for the development of the tests They can help teachers implement the Common Core by providing examples of how the standards could be laid out over the year. For more on Model Content Frameworks, visit: parcc-model-content-frameworks 20

Evidence-Centered Design (ECD) for the PARCC Assessments Model Content Frameworks To make claims about what students know, we must operationalize the standards Evidence Statements Based on analysis, evidence drive task development Tasks Tasks are designed to elicit specific evidence from students 21

In Mathematics, Students will … Solve problems consistent with the Major, Additional, and Supporting work of the grade Express mathematical reasoning by constructing mathematical arguments and critiques Engage in the modeling process to solve authentic problems Demonstrate mathematical fluency 22

23 Three Types of Math Tasks Concepts, skills and procedures a 2 +b 2 =c 2 Mathematical reasoning a 2 +b 2 =c 2 Model and apply what they know to solve problems a b c a b c

Connecting School to the Real World Students will be expected to: Apply mathematical ways of thinking to real-world issues and challenges Develop a depth of understanding of mathematics and demonstrate an ability to apply math concepts and skills to new situations 24

ELA/Literacy Students will have to: Show they can read and understand complex reading passages Write persuasively Conduct research and present findings Demonstrate speaking and listening skills 25

26 ELA/Literacy Students read and comprehend a range of sufficiently complex texts independently. Students write effectively when using and/or analyzing sources. Students build and present knowledge through research and the integration, comparison, and synthesis of ideas. Reading Literature Reading Informational Text Vocabulary Interpretation and Use Written Expression Conventions and Knowledge of Language

PARCC Implementation Guidance: Technology Readiness technology technology 27

Technology in Schools 28 PARCC tests can be taken on a range of devices including: desktops, laptops, netbooks and tablets. These should be available for instruction and testing. Some rule-of-thumb guidance: A school that has six tested grades, such as a K–8 school, should consider having one device per student in the largest tested grade. Schools with up to three tested grades should consider having at least one device for every two students for the largest tested grade.

PARCC Implementation Guidance: Accessibility and Accommodations 29

PARCC Accessibility System Features for All Students Tools embedded in the test platform Accessibility Features for All Students Identified in advance Accommodations for Students with Disabilities, English Learners, and English Learners with Disabilities 30

What is Included in the Manual The first edition of the PARCC Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual is a comprehensive policy document that will support local educators in the selection, administration, and evaluation of accommodations for the assessment of students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities on the computer-delivered PARCC Mid-Year, Performance-Based, and End-of-Year Assessments. The manual provides educators with information on the accommodations which, when used on the PARCC End-of-Year, Performance-Based-Assessment, and Mid-Year assessment, will result in a valid score for a student. 31

PARCC will develop translations of its mathematics assessments into Spanish and other languages as necessary, but use of the translated assessments will be a state decision. The additional costs associated with translating and administering assessments in languages other than English will be shared by the states that use them. Translation Policy

PARCC Implementation Guidance: Testing Time, Testing Windows, Cost Estimates, Sustainability 33

Testing Time PARCC tests are being given instead of, not in addition to, current state tests. Testing time may increase in some states, while it will decrease or stay the same in others. Estimated time it will take students to complete both ELA/literacy and math tests combined at each grade level: This represents less than 1 percent of the time a student spends in school hours annually in 3rd grade Just over 9 hours annually in grades 4–5 Little less than 9.5 hours annually in middle school Little more than 9.5 hours annually in high school

From the Student’s Perspective Early Spring Performance Based Assessments in Math and Literacy ELA/Literacy: 3.5 hours to write three essays Math: 2 hours to work through a few short problems and 6-7 extended math problems Late Spring: Short answer/Multiple choice Assessments ELA/Literacy: 2 hours to work through machine-scorable, reading comprehension questions Math: hours to work through short mathematics problems 35

Schools will have MAXIMUM testing windows within which to complete administration of ELA/literacy and mathematics assessments for all students: Performance Based Assessment = Maximum of 20 Days End-of-Year = Maximum of 20 Days Individual students will participate in testing sessions for both the PBA and EOY components in both subjects over five to nine days. PARCC Testing Windows

PARCC Estimated Costs Similar to Current Median Costs 37 $29.50 Reading, Writing & Math $29.94 Current median for State Tests This represents less than 1 percent of per pupil spending in the U.S.

What Drives the Cost of Quality Assessments? What drives the cost? – Development of quality test questions for ELA and Mathematics Assessments – Online delivery of assessment – Scoring, including hand scoring essay questions – Data analysis – Reporting 38

K-16 Educator Engagement 39

State Teams: Building local capacity to sustain implementation 24 members per state totaling almost 600 across PARCC States – Members include: K-16 educators and district-level administrators – Provided with training and tools to understand, support and own the implementation of the CCSS and PARCC assessments Models of State Engagement: – New Mexico: Classroom and district level ELCs have presented at over 75 functions, events or trainings to date. – Louisiana: Expanded ELC teams locally by training and placing PARCC and CCSS advocates in every state school—bringing the number of ELC members to almost 2,000 across the state. Building Collaboration and Partnerships – Item reviewer partnership with NEA and AFT – iTunes U Common Core Resources Project with ELC members Educator Leader Cadres

Through state level engagement efforts, almost 700 state postsecondary institutions and systems have been involved in the development of the PARCC assessment PARCC ACCR and Higher Education Leadership Team played an integral role in defining and adopting the College and Career Readiness Determination for placement into entry-level, college- credit bearing courses Role going forward: – Continue to deepen awareness of the postsecondary role in PARCC – Develop K-12/postsecondary partnerships and governance plans for using the PARCC assessments for placement – Approve and participate in the standard setting and long-term validations processes – Engage higher education in supporting full implementation of the CCSS and PARCC assessments Higher Education Engagement

PARCC Scores as Indicators of College Readiness 42

Promoting Success: College without Remediation Students will be able to enter into entry-level, credit-bearing courses at postsecondary institutions without remediation in ELA/Literacy and/or math Guaranteed exemption from remedial coursework at more than 700 colleges and universities For more, go to: parcc-assessment-policies parcc-assessment-policies 43

Learn More About PARCC Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers On #askPARCC & #PARCCELC 44