Assessing the Assessments: Common

Core, PARCC, and College Readiness

Tami Hartman, Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools

Whats the Problem Common Core is attempting to address?

CCSS Shifts in Emphasis

O Building knowledge through content-

rich nonfiction
O Reading, writing and speaking grounded

in evidence from text, both literary and informational

O Regular practice with complex text and

its academic language

CCSS Guiding Principles

1.

Make close reading of texts central to lesson

8.

Offer systematic instruction in vocabulary

2.

Structure majority of instruction 9. so all students read grade-level complex texts Emphasize informational texts from early grades on Provide scaffolding that does not preempt or replace text Ask text-dependent questions Provide extensive research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence)
10.

Provide explicit instruction in grammar and conventions

Cultivate students independence

3.

4.

5. 6.

7.

Offer regular opportunities for students to share ideas, evidence and research
Source: Ohios New Learning Standards: K-12 English Language Arts. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Department of Education, Ppt.

How will they be assessed?

O Adopted by 22 O Adopted by 14

states O About 3 million students O Approx. 2-1/2 to 4 hrs. per test area O Granted roughly $175 million

states (including Ohio) & DC O About 1 million students O Up to 3 hrs. per test O Granted roughly $170 million

Source: Hefling, Kimberly. "Millions of Kids to Test New Education Assessments." AP: The Big Story. Associated Press, 22 Mar. 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.

Testing in Ohio
O PARCC assessments to replace most current state O O

assessments in school year 2014-15 Currently field-testing assessments in 2000 schools from 290 districts Approximately 100,000 students will field test PARCC tests this spring Testing only in Math & ELAstate-developed assessments to be created for science, social studies Online & paper/pencil versions available; eventually all online testing will be used Legislation under discussion could delay full implementation of the tests

Source: O'Donnell, Patrick. "Ohio Students to Test Drive New Common Core Exams." The Plain Dealer. Northeast Ohio Media Group, 5 Mar. 2014. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

What we know about the tests

O There are both formative & summative

assessments O Final assessments will occur at Grade 11 O Computer-based, including digital tools (calculators, protractors, highlighters, etc.) and activities (drag & drop, multiple select, etc.) O Claim to assess higher-level skills, while allowing for more divergent thinking O Scored using a combination of mechanical and human scorerspartial credit can be Source:earned PARCC: Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. 2014. Web.
30 Mar. 2014. www.parcconline.org.

The 11th Grade ELA Assessments

O

Non-summative (optional) components include: O Diagnostic Assessment designed to be an indicator of student knowledge and skills so that instruction, supports, and professional development can be tailored to meet student needs. O Mid-Year Assessment (MYA) comprised of performance-based items and tasks, with an emphasis on hard-to-measure standards. O Speaking and Listening Assessment designed to be an indicator of students' ability to communicate their own ideas, listen to and comprehend the ideas of others, and to integrate and evaluate information from multimedia sources. O Summative components include: O Performance-Based Assessment (PBA) administered after approximately 75% of the school year. The ELA/literacy PBA will focus on writing effectively when analyzing text. O End-of-Year Assessment (EOY) administered after approximately 90% of the school year. The ELA/literacy EOY will focus on reading comprehension.
Source: PARCC: Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. www.parcconline.org.

What the test looks like

O PARCC now offers a website offering

samples questions and practice tests using the same technology platform as students will when testing. http://practice.parcc.testnav.com/#

How the test will be used

O To evaluate teachersunless legislation

changes, 50% of teacher evaluation is based on student achievement O To determine student high school graduation?this has not yet been decided in Ohio O To place students in the appropriate classessome are pushing for its use as a college placement tool O ???

How are other College-ready assessments being affected?

O Having to respond to competition & to

research showing current tests are still not as accurate an indicator of college success as high school performance is O Traditional assessments are being revampednew SAT to be released in 2016to align more closely to CCSS O Changes likely coming to COMPASS & ACCUPLACERonly major assessment tools not aligning to CCSS (although they are generally used to determine remedial placement)

Implications for Community Colleges

O In the paper,The Common Core State

Standards: Implications for Community Colleges and Student Preparedness for College, members of The National Center for Postsecondary Research make the following recommendations to colleges:
O Use the 11th grade assessment as one of

the measures to determine course placement O Align developmental and introductory college-level courses with CCSS O Work directly with K-12 partners

Questions/Comments?