The new academic standards are more rigorous than their predecessors and emphasize critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical writing, skills that will take time for students to develop.
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As he’d been warning, the Illinois state superintendent of education revealed startlingly low preliminary scores from an involved and controversial new standardized test Wednesday.
The results reflect the statewide aggregate of online test-takers only, which account for an estimated 75 percent of the total PARCC exams taken.
The board of education is poised to set a lower benchmark for Ohio students, at least to start with, allowing more to pass. Under Ohio’s measure, closer to 65 percent of students would meet expectations. “I think we should use this new assessment as a new starting point for conversations about progress and what kids need to be ready for the next level and what’s coming in the future”.
And looking at the preliminary statewide results, most students wouldn’t have been deemed “good enough”.
“One of things I’ve loved about this district is that it’s student-centered, not test-centered”, Lundberg said. The percentage of countywide students in each tested grade that were POES in science were as follows; fifth grade: 74 percent; eighth grade: 80 percent; 10th grade: 72 percent.
From 2010 to 2012, more than 40 states adopted the Common Core standards in reading and math, setting dramatically higher expectations for elementary and secondary schools.
When asked about the timeline for the release of the complete data set, Smith acknowledged the state is in the dark and does not know when the rest of the results will be received from Pearson Education, a British company contracted to administer the test.
Also of note: This year is a no accountability year for PARCC, meaning there’ll be no consequences for schools or students. That said, the test carries no consequences for anyone this year.
Elia says the tests’ length is why some parents sat their kids out during the last school year.
Since Missouri and Illinois were part of different testing groups, they won’t be able to compare their results with each other. It will take time to fully transition to this new system that will better prepare students for what they will face after high school. It also needs to be understood, Common Core does not dictate what a school teaches and only involves math and reading/language arts.
However, Ohio is labeling a score of 3 as “proficient”, though the PARCC organization’s definition is “approached expectations”.
A recent article in this paper reported Arkansas students’ 2015 ACT average was the same as past year , 20.4 on a scale of 36.
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One board member said that the new results will “blow parents’ minds”. They are expected to be ready this fall.
