IL high schools are dropping the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC test, and some state lawmakers say they’re happy to hear it.
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The PARCC math and English Language Arts tests – products of one of the two federally funded test consortia that developed assessments aligned with the highly unpopular Common Core state standards – were administered twice in IL.
Gould said the change of exams means fewer testing days and more time for classroom instruction.
Education officials said they made the decision after a listening tour that included meetings with students, parents, schools, districts, advocacy groups and others.
Next spring, the Barrington district plans to administer the state-paid SAT exam after paying $42,000 to have high school students take the ACT exam this past spring, said district spokeswoman Morgan Delack.
Another issue is that the district has traditionally used ACT exams, and the change to SAT means it will lose 15 years of history and data, he said. The changes were handed down by the Illinois State board of Education.
The state will pay for the SAT, but students can pay a fee to take the ACT.
Roger Eddy, head of the Illinois Association of School Boards, was on the call and supports the move.
“Now we can encourage students to look at their PSAT results and study their weaknesses to prepare for the SAT junior year”, said Daniel. IL high schoolers will still take a science exam. “We assess and assess and assess, and you’ve got to remember that sometimes we have to teach kids”.
Students in grades 3-8 will continue to take the PARCC assessment.
Since students will no longer receive preparation sessions for the PARCC exam, Bavis said ETHS will offer free, personalized review sessions for the SAT online.
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An email went out to district superintendents Monday afternoon, from Superintendent Smith, who said the state listened to feedback from school districts and took into consideration the state’s budget challenges in deciding to eliminate PARCC at the high school level.
