A Publication of the
Madison Public
Schools Office of
Curriculum and
Instruction
September 2014
A Walk in the PARCC
aims to provide all
those with an interest in
the Madison Public
Schools with the latest
information about the
Common Core State
Standards and PARCC
assessments.
District Shares PARCC Planning at NJDOE Event
At the invitation of the New Jersey Department of Education, Michael Rossi, Superintendent
of Schools, Matthew Mingle, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and John LaPierre,
Technology Coordinator, spoke at Commissioner of Education David Hespe’s Superintendents’
Convocation event held on September 30, 2014 at Parsippany Hills High School. The team was
asked to describe the process the district used to implement PARCC field testing in spring
2014 and – more importantly – how the results of that experience and student surveys have
guided additional work in the district since.
Summarizing his remarks to the 100+ superintendents in attendance, Dr. Rossi said, “Madison
is a proud and progressive district and we wanted to respond to the PARCC mandate in a
manner that was consistent with our vision, was grounded in the teaching and learning
process, and provided technology applications so that students could learn on a day-to-day
basis and transfer this familiarity into the PARCC testing environment. We wanted to ensure
that our students feel confident that they have the skills and knowledge base to be successful
and that the technology in front of them would work seamlessly. We are poised and ready to
step into the future and meet any challenges from State or Federal mandates and that our
students will continue to succeed and we will sustain the excellence that we have become
accustomed to in our schools.”
In July, Mr. Mingle shared this information with the Board of Education and in this publication.
The full presentation is still available at www.madisonpublicschools.org.
A Parent’s Guide to Common Core Implementation
One month into the school year, the second year of full Common Core State Standards
implementation in New Jersey, the New Jersey Department of Education recently provided
some quick tips for parents as they strive to support their children’s learning at home.
You will notice some shifts … and that’s a good thing!
 You will see children doing more than finding answers and completing tasks.
 You will hear children reasoning.
 You will notice more personalized learning.
 You will see children working through more complex problems.
 You will watch children enjoy reading both literature and informational text.
Masthead Design:
Dani Bratton
Madison High School Teacher
As we continue to work together to strengthen the school-home partnership, consider these
questions when speaking with teachers about student progress:
 Is my child at the level where he/she should be at this point in the school year?
1



Where is my child excelling and how can we help him/her grow even more?
What do you think is giving my child the most trouble? How can we help him/her
improve in this area?
What can we do to help my child with upcoming work?
Finally, there are some new (and mostly not-so-new) ways to support success at home:
 Encourage your child to stick with it even when a problem becomes difficult.
 Help build independence and confidence in your child.
 Read to, with, and in front of your child and discuss what you read.
 Attend parent/teacher conferences and talk with your child’s teacher about his/her
strengths and weaknesses. Ask how you can best support your child at home.
 Ask questions and learn more about the Common Core State Standards in your child’s
classroom.
 Attend family nights and access district presentations on the Common Core State
Standards and PARCC through the district curriculum website.
Article adapted from “What Are the Common Core State Standards” presented by Kimberley
Harrington, Acting Chief Academic Officer, Director of Standards, New Jersey Department of
Education to the New Jersey State Board of Education. The full presentation is available here.
Five Things to Know About PARCC
Follow PARCC on
Twitter
@PARCCplace
1. PARCC is our state’s homegrown assessment. PARCC is a group of states working
together to build better assessments. New Jersey representatives actively participate
in the design, field testing, and implementation of the new assessments.
2. The field test last spring was successful and provided lessons for the first full
administration in spring 2015. More than 1 million students in 14 states plus
Washington, D.C. took the field test in spring 2014, including students at four of our
schools. The feedback from the tests and surveys have generated several changes to
the logistics of the assessment as well as the content, including the reduction of the
number of items on the literacy assessments.
3. Paper-based tests are available for schools that are not yet ready for the
technology. Although we are well poised to implement computer-based testing in
Madison, districts that are not will have the option to use paper-based tests.
4. Teachers from New Jersey are playing a role in assessment development. In
addition to New Jersey Department of Education officials, teachers have also been
involved in designing and reviewing assessment items.
5. The test design has been updated. Although state officials are still working out the
final testing time totals, the reduction from four to two passage sets for literacy in
grades 3-5 and from five to four passage sets for literacy in grades 6-11 will mean
decreases in the amount of time students are testing. Watch for exact testing times
next month.
Article adapted from “Ten Things to Know About PARCC” by Laura Slover published at
http://www.parcconline.org.
2
Who Makes PARCC Policy Decisions?
PARCC is a group of states working together to develop high-quality, computer-based
assessments to measure student learning. While they set some common policies, individual
member states and local school districts make many key decisions for themselves.
Article adapted from “Who Makes PARCC Policy Decisions” by Laura Slover published at
http://www.parcconline.org.
Office of Curriculum and
Instruction
Madison Public Schools
359 Woodland Road
Madison. NJ 07940
www.madisonpublicschools.org
@MadisonNJPS
Matthew A. Mingle, Director
What Do You Think?
“A Walk in the PARCC” is designed to keep the entire Madison learning community informed
as we transition to new educational standards and assessments. Please take a moment to
complete a brief survey to guide the development of future newsletters.
The survey can be accessed at http://tinyurl.com/AWalkInTheParcc.
3