A Stroll Through the PARCC
A Closer Look at Grades 3-5
PARTNERSHIP FOR
ASSESSMENT OF
READINESS FOR
COLLEGE AND
CAREERS
A Stroll Through the PARCC
Testing Dates and Tasks
Grades 3-11
 March
 ELA
has three Performance-Based Assessments (PBA)
A Stroll Through the PARCC
 ELA PBA
Narrative Task (NWT)
Literary Analysis Task (LAT)
Research Simulation Task (RST)
A Stroll Through the PARCC
 Narrative Writing Task (NWT)
 Students
read one story
Multiple Choice questions:
http://parcc.pearson.com/practicetests/english/
A Stroll Through the PARCC
Sample Writing Task: NWT (Grade 3)
From “A Once in a Lifetime Experience” by Sandra Beswetherick
This story tells about Derrick’s first camping trip.
Write Derrick’s journal entry about this camping
trip. Include information about how the character
responded to the events in the story as you write
the journal entry.
A Stroll Through the PARCC
Sample Writing Task: NWT (Grade 4)
From “Those Wacky Shoes” by Julie Parker Amery
In “Those Wacky Shoes,” a girl has to outsmart a pair of shoes.
Think about the details the author uses to create the characters,
settings, and events.
Imagine that you, like the girl in the story, find a pair of wacky
shoes that won’t come off. Write a story about how you find the
pair of shoes and what happens to you when you are wearing
them. Use what you have learned about the wacky shoes when
writing your story.
A Stroll Through the PARCC
Sample Writing Task: NWT (Grade 5)
From “The Growin’ of Paul Bunyan” by William J. Brooke
You have read a passage from “The Growin’ of
Paul Bunyan.” Think about how the story would be
different if it were told from Johnny’s point of view.
Write the story from the point of view of Johnny.
A Stroll Through the PARCC
 Literary Analysis Task (LAT)
 Always
two works of fiction
Multiple Choice questions:
http://parcc.pearson.com/practicetests/english/
A Stroll Through the PARCC
Sample Writing Task: LAT (Grade 3)
 You have read “Johnny Chuck Finds the Best Thing in the
World” and “Me First.” Old Mother West Wind and the
Sandwitch both try to teach important lessons to
characters in the stories.
 Write an essay that explains how Old Mother West
Wind’s and the Sandwitch’s words and actions are
important to the plots of the stories. Use what you
learned about the characters to support your essay.
A Stroll Through the PARCC
Sample Writing Task: LAT (Grade 4)
 You have read the passage “Just Like Home” and the
poem “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me.” Identify a theme in
each text.
 Write an essay that explains how the theme of the story
is shown through the characters and how the theme of
the poem is shown through the speaker. Include specific
details from the story and poem to support your essay.
A Stroll Through the PARCC
Sample Writing Task: LAT (Grade 5)
 The stories titled Ida B and Moon Over Manifest both
include events that did not happen exactly how the
narrators expected them to happen.
 Write an essay describing how each narrator’s point of
view influenced how these events are described. Be sure
to use details from both stories.
A Stroll Through the PARCC
 Research Simulation (RST)
 At
least two non-fiction tasks possibly a third or
a video
Multiple Choice questions:
http://parcc.pearson.com/practicetests/english/
A Stroll Through the PARCC
Sample Writing Task: RST (Grade 4)
 You have read a passage from “The Wild Horses of
Assateague Island,” “Wild Ponies of Chincoteague, “ and “
In Thunder and Rain, Chincoteague Ponies Make the Annual
Swim.” Think about the illustrations from the passages and
how they help the reader learn more about the ponies.
 Write an essay explaining what can be learned from the
illustrations about the lives of ponies described in the
passages. Include details from all three sources.
A Stroll Through the PARCC
Sample Writing Task: RST (Grade 5)
 You have read three articles about penguin rescue efforts
after an oil spill.
 Write an essay explaining the similarities and differences
in each article’s point of view about penguin rescue efforts
after an oil spill. Support your essay with information from
all three sources.
A Stroll Through the PARCC
Technology Features
 http://epat-parcc.testnav.com/client/index.html#tests
Resources

http://www.parcconline.org/

http://www.parcconline.org/item-week-2015-01-16 Example Grade 11 ELA

http://www.parcconline.org/item-week-2015-01-08 Example grade 4 math item with explanation from
"what's new this week.

http://www.pta.org/parents/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2910 PTA Parent guides

http://www.parcconline.org/take-the-test/a-different-kind-of-test What's different overview

http://www.parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/oldvnew-elem.pdf What's different between the NJASK
and PARCC…elementary school

http://www.parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/oldvnew-middle_1.pdf What's different between the
NJASK and PARCC…middle school (126 Brass (This was not asked but 42 Percussion))


http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/ online practice tests
http://www.parcconline.org/practice-test-answers answer keys