PARCC 2.0 Parent Presentation Presented by: Dr. Cynthia Pritchett

✓ Determine whether students are college- and career-ready or “on track” ✓ Provide tools to assess student learning and support instruction during the school year ✓ Report growth in performance as well as absolute achievement ✓ Report comparable results across schools, districts and member states ✓ Generate valid and reliable information to inform instruction and accountability decisions What are the primary objectives of the PARCC Assessment System? ✓ Use technology for a range of purposes including increasing student access, providing accommodations, engaging students, and creating efficiencies in administration, scoring and reporting 2

Test Administration in million students in one day 204,000 students in one hour Peak: 1million testers per day x 5 days Thousands of hours contributed by thousands of educators to develop the test Key Stats

What’s Different About the Tests? The new tests go beyond the “bubble test.” Students show their work through: Extended writing and multi-step questions which require students to apply the skills they have learned. They measure: Problem-solving Writing Critical thinking Reading Comprehension 4

What Were Students Tested on in English? 5 Could students read closely to comprehend a range of complex literary and informational texts? Could students write effectively for a range of purposes and audiences? Could students listen effectively for a range of purposes? Could students use research skills to investigate topics, analyze, and present information?

What Were Students Tested on in Math? 6 Could students explain and apply math concepts and perform math procedures? Could students solve problems using their knowledge of concepts and problem solving strategies? Could students analyze real-world scenarios and create models to solve problems? Could students build practical arguments to support their own reasoning?

What’s Different in 2016? 7

Test Design Changes – One Testing Window

Test Design Changes - 90 Minute Reduction Overall times include Reading/Writing and Mathematics across all test units per grade

Test Design Changes – Fewer Test Units With the changes, students in all grades will participate in fewer test units. The redesigned ELA/L tests are composed of 3 units. The math tests are composed of 3 or 4 units.

The Score Report 11

PARCC Score Report Design Study PARCC conducted a 5-month, multi-phase Score Report Design Study to establish priorities for the kinds of data the reports should include and how they should be presented. Stakeholders providing input included: Teachers and Administrators (Central Office and Building) Parents Higher Education Representatives PARCC state education leadership PARCC Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) 12

What Parents Need to Know About the Score Reports The PARCC tests replace the old state tests. They measure how well students are performing against the new state standards that guide math and English language arts instruction. The PARCC tests are only one of several measures, including report card grades and in-class performance, that are used to determine a student's academic achievement. They do not impact a student’s GPA. The score reports are a valuable tool for parents and teachers. The report provides a deeper level of information that can be used to better understand where students are doing well and where they need additional support. This helps teachers and parents support students.

What Parents Need to Know About the Score Reports The PARCC tests moves away from multiple choice questions to ones that allow students to demonstrate a real understanding of what they know and can do by writing essays, solving real world problems, and reading and analyzing complex text—all critical skills in the real-world. Your child’s score may look lower this year because the tests measured more complex skills. A low score does not mean your child did not improve or learned less, but instead that the expectations have been raised for students. The first year’s scores are a new baseline from which to progress from and measure against moving forward.

Five Performance Levels Place a purple frame around images PARCC uses five performance levels that delineate the knowledge, skills, and practices students are able to demonstrate: Level 1: Did Not Yet Meet Expectations Level 2: Partially Met Expectations Level 3: Approached Expectations Level 4: Met Expectations Level 5: Exceeded Expectations Five Performance Levels

16 Score Reports

Individual Student Report: ELA/L

Individual Student Report: Math

21 Score Reports

New Tests New Baselines These upgraded tests are harder. With a greater emphasis on deeper learning, raising the bar for our students, parents, and teachers. This new bar cannot be compared to the old one. The scores are not higher or lower, just different. 22

NJ PARCC ELA Scores Not Yet Meeting (Level I) Partially Meeting (Level 2) Approaching Expectations (Level 3) Meeting Expectations (Level 4) Exceeding Expectations (Level 5) NJ: Total Meeting Expectations Grade 315%18%24%39%5%44% Grade 48%15%27%39%12%51% Grade 57%15%26%45%6%51% Grade 68%16%28%40%9%49% Grade 711%15%23%34%18%52% Grade 812%15%22%39%13%52% Grade 9 (ELA I) 18%19%24%30%10%40% Grade 10 (ELA II) 25%18%20%26%11%37% Grade 11 (ELA III) 17%19%24%30%11%65%

NJ PARCC MATHEMATICS SCORES Not Yet Meeting (Level I) Partially Meeting (Level 2) Approaching Expectations (Level 3) Meeting Expectations (Level 4) Exceeding Expectations (Level 5) NJ: Total Meeting Expectations Grade 38%19%28%37%8%45% Grade 47%22%30%36%4%40% Grade 56%21%32%35%6%41% Grade 68%21%30%35%6%41% Grade 78%22%33% 4%37% Grade 8*22%26%28%23%1%24% Algebra I14%25% 33%3%36% Algebra II32%25%20%22%2%24% Geometry12%36%30%20%3%23%

Resources for Parents & Teachers

UnderstandTheScore.org

GreatKids State Test Guide For Parents

Where Can I Find More Info? 28 Great Web Sites PARCC Practice Tests: Reading, Writing, Math Tutorials Practice Tests PARCC Info: Understandthescore.org Parent Friendly Information and Resources : BeALearningHero.org and Facebook.com/bealearningheroBeALearningHero.org Facebook.com/bealearninghero

Questions?