From NSSD112: PARCC Assessment Information Later this spring, the state of Illinois will launch its first administration of the Partnership for Assessment of College and Careers (PARCC), an assessment tool used to measure student progress in math and English Language Arts. These Common Core aligned assessments, which are replacing the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), will be administered to our 3rd-8th grade students in both March and May. Students will be required to solve multistep problems, read critically across multiple texts, support answers with evidence, and write in various formats. Our North Shore School District 112 curriculum has been crafted to prepare students for all of these skills, and no additional studying or preparation is necessary or advised. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has created a collection of documents for parents. PARCC Assessment FAQs PARCC Primer, 10 Things to Know National PTA Publication: A Parent’s Guide to New Assessments A recent and noted misconception regarding the PARCC assessment is that families may opt-out of standardized testing. All Illinois school districts, by state and federal mandates, are required to annually administer a state assessment. One important fact to know is that school districts with fewer than 95% of students taking the assessment will not meet state compliance requirements and risk losing federal funding. North Shore School District 112 receives in excess of a half of a million dollars each year in Title I funding. The district has taken a number of steps to prepare our students for the PARCC assessment over the course of the past three years. Common Core State Standards have been woven into our district’s curriculum and instruction through the design of thematic concepts and essential questions. Students are continually exposed to robust literature and hands-on math experiences to help develop deep learning. Our professional staff members have received extensive professional development in the area of curriculum and instruction and continue to make impressive shifts in their practice. While high stakes testing remains a controversial topic in our country, and while the merits of high stakes testing is continually questioned, non-participation in the PARCC assessment is not an option. In advance, we thank you for your support and collaboration as we comply with the state mandates while striving to engage and inspire our students in their pursuit of excellent education. For additional information or to access practice assessments, please visit our PARCC information site. For additional information or to access practice assessments, please visit our PARCC information site. We will be certain to share additional information and logistical details as they become available from the Illinois State Board of Education.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 14:54:11 +0000
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