The Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers
June 2011
The Common Core State Standards
Initiative
• Beginning in the spring of 2009, Governors and state
commissioners of education from 48 states, 2 territories
and the District of Columbia committed to developing a
common core of state K-12 standards
• In June 2010, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
were released by NGA and CCSSO
• To date, 44 states and the District of Columbia have
adopted the Standards
• Most states intend to implement the new standards by
the 2014-15 school year
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44 States + DC Have Adopted the
Common Core State Standards
*Minnesota adopted the CCSS in ELA only
The Common Core State Standards
Initiative
Preparation: The standards are college- and career-ready. They will help
prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in
education and training after high school.
Competition: The standards are internationally benchmarked. Common
standards will help ensure our students are globally competitive.
Equity: Expectations are consistent for all – and not dependent on a
student’s zip code.
Clarity of purpose: The standards are focused, coherent, and clear.
Clearer standards help students (and parents and teachers) understand
what is expected of them.
Collaboration opportunity: The standards create a foundation to work
collaboratively across states and districts, pooling resources and
expertise, to create curricular tools, professional development, common
assessments and other materials.
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Key Advances in the Common Core
ELA/Literacy Standards
Reading
• Balance of literature and informational texts
• Focus on text complexity and what students read
Writing
• Emphasis on argument and informative/explanatory writing
• Writing about sources (evidence)
Speaking and Listening
• Inclusion of formal and informal talk
Language
• Stress on academic and domain-specific vocabulary
Address reading and writing across the curriculum
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• Responsibility of teachers in those subjects
• Complement rather than replace content standards in those subjects
Key Advances in the Common Core
Math Standards
Focus and coherence
• Focus on key topics at each grade level
• Coherent progressions across grade levels
Depth over breadth
• Allows more time for mastery
Balance of concepts and skills
• Content standards require both conceptual understanding and
procedural fluency
Mathematical practices
• Foster reasoning and sense-making in mathematics
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About PARCC
Race to the Top Assessment Program
Competition
• $350 million of Race to the Top Fund set aside for awards to
consortia of states to design and develop common K-12
assessment systems aligned to common, college- and
career-ready standards
• In Sept. 2010, the U.S. Department of Education awarded
grants to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for
College and Careers (PARCC) and Smarter Balanced
Assessment Consortium (SBAC)
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About PARCC
• PARCC is an alliance of 25 states working together to
develop a common set of K-12 assessments in English and
math anchored in what it takes to be ready for college and
careers
• PARCC is state-led and a subset of PARCC states make up its
Governing Board
• Collectively the PARCC states educate more than 31 million
students — nearly 63% of K-12 students attending
American public schools
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PARCC States
Governing Board States
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Participating States
PARCC Governance
AZ, AR, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, LA,
MD, MA, NJ, NY, OK, RI, TN
Governing Board States
Governing Board Chair
Massachusetts Commissioner Mitchell Chester
Florida
Fiscal Agent State
US Education Department award is to Florida on
behalf of 25 states to oversee budget,
procurement, and reporting functions
Achieve
Project Management
Partner
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Achieve is a bipartisan, non-profit organization that
helps states raise academic standards, improve
assessments, and strengthen accountability to
prepare all young people for postsecondary
education, work, and citizenship
PARCC Committee Structure
Governing Board
Deals with major policy issues
Steering Committee
Technical Advisory Committee
(TAC)
Responsible for technical and research
work
Technical
Advisors
Specific technical
advisors appointed
as needed
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Technical
Working Groups
(TWG)
Domain-specific
technical advisors,
appointed by TAC
and Leadership
Advisory Committee on
College Readiness
(ACCR)
Advises Governing Board on
postsecondary issues
Postsecondary
Leadership Team
Leadership Team (LT)
Responsible for operation and
management
Operational
Working Groups
(OWG)
Responsible for day-today-aspects of specific
areas
Responsible for
postsecondary
engagement to
advance college
readiness
Content Leads
Groups responsible for
aspects of contentspecific areas
The PARCC Vision
The PARCC Vision for Next Generation
Assessments
1. Create high-quality assessments that measure the full
range of the Common Core State Standards
2. Build a pathway to college and career readiness for all
students
3. Support educators in the classroom
4. Better utilize technology
5. Compare results across districts and states, and
determine how students compare to their
international peers
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Proposed PARCC Design
English Language Arts and Mathematics, Grades 3 - 11
25%
50%
75%
90%
PARTNERSHIP RESOURCE CENTER: Digital library of released items, formative assessments,
model content frameworks, model instructional supports, student and educator tutorials and
sample items, scoring training modules, and professional development materials
Through-course
ASSESSMENT 1
• ELA
• Math
Summative assessment
for accountability
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Through-course
ASSESSMENT 2
• ELA
• Math
Required, but
not used tor
accountability
Through-course
ASSESSMENT 3
• ELA
• Math
Through-course
ASSESSMENT4
• Speaking
• Listening
END OF YEAR
ASSESSMENT
Key advances in the PARCC vision:
•
•
•
•
Unprecedented collaborative effort across states
Anchored in CCSS – and what it takes to be prepared
Range of item types that match demands of CCSS
Common cut scores/performance levels across states
based on evidence of what it takes to be successful
• Computer delivered to allow for innovative item types
and quick turn around of results
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Implementation and Instructional
Support & Next Steps
PARCC’s Implementation Support &
Stakeholder Engagement
To support state efforts to successfully implement and transition to the
Common Core State Standards and next generation assessments by the
2014-15 school year, PARCC will facilitate:
– Consortium-wide support for strategic planning and collective
problem solving for the implementation of CCSS and PARCC
assessments;
– Collaborative efforts to develop the highest priority instructional tools;
– Multi-state support to build leadership cadres of educators who are
deeply engaged in the use of those tools, the CCSS and the PARCC
assessments.
– Multi-state support to engage the postsecondary community around
the design and use of the assessments
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PARCC Timeline
SY 2010-11
SY 2011-12
Launch and
design phase
Development
begins
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SY 2012-13
SY 2013-14
SY 2014-15
Summer 2015
First year
pilot/field
testing and
related research
and data
collection
Second year
pilot/field
testing and
related research
and data
collection
Full
administration
of PARCC
assessments
Set
achievement
levels,
including
college-ready
performance
levels
Key Challenges for PARCC
Technical Challenges
• Developing an
interoperable
technology platform
• Transitioning to an
computer-based
assessment system
• Developing and
implementing
automated scoring
systems and processes
• Identifying effective,
innovative item types
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Implementation
Challenges
• Estimating costs over
time, including longterm budgetary
planning
• Transitioning to the
new assessments at the
classroom level
• Ensuring long-term
sustainability
• Building on CCSS
implementation
Policy Challenges
• Student supports
and interventions
• Accountability
• High school course
requirements
•
College admissions/
placement
•
How to change
perceptions about
what next-gen
assessments can and
will do
The Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers
June 2011
www.PARCConline.org