A Closer Look at Standardized Testing
in 4th Grade
Part One : The Common Core and
PARCC Assessment
Part Two: NJASK Science
Presentation By:
Maryanne Boehm & Colleen Eichenlaub
What does PARCC stand for?
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for
College and Careers
PARCC Assessments
 What is PARCC?
 What will it look like?
 How will it be different from NJASK?
 When will PARCC assessments be
administered?
PARCC Assessments
 The Partnership for Assessments of College and
Careers (PARCC) is a group working together to
develop a common set of computer-based K-12
assessments in English Language Arts/Literacy and
Math linked to the new, more rigorous Common Core
State Standards (CCSS).
Why New Assessments Now?
 Current state assessments were not designed to:
 Assess and signal whether students are on track for
success in college or careers
 Produce timely, actionable data for students,
teachers and parents
 Test key skills, such as critical thinking and ability to
problem solve
PARCC Priorities
 Determine whether students are college and career ready or on track
 Connect to the Common Core Standards
 Measure the full range of student performance, including that of high
and low achieving students
 Provide educators data throughout the year to inform instruction
 Create innovative 21st Century, technology-based assessments
 Be affordable and sustainable
How Will PARCC Be Different
 Students: Will know if they are on track to graduate/ready
for college/careers
 Teachers: Will have earlier access to data to plan for
learning and instruction for the following year
 Parents: Will have clear and timely information about
student progress
 States: Will have valid results that are comparable across
borders
How Will PARCC Be Different
 For Teachers and Schools:
 Computer-based testing will boost student engagement
and scores
 More efficient than pencil-paper
 Timely data during the year will aid instruction,
professional development
 Tests will assess the full range of student performance
 Tests will measure student growth at all levels as well as
measuring proficiency
PARCC : Technology Skills
Using a laptop, the students will use
the following keyboarding skills…
Delete: Use the backspace to remove text.
Type: Type letters, words, numbers, punctuation marks, and
symbols, (including fractions), as well as sentences and
paragraphs.
Shift: Use the shift key to create capital letters and symbols.
Tab: Use the tab key to indent writing.
Return: Use the return key to move down to the next line. Also
called the “ENTER” key.
Space Bar: Use for adding a space between words, when typing
sentences.
PARCC : Technology Skills
Using a laptop, the students will use
the following mouse skills…
Select/Deselect: Choose by checking and un-checking boxes.
Highlight: Color or shade in areas, text and objects on a
screen.
Redo: Put an object or text back on the screen that was
previously there.
Undo: Take an object or text off the screen (go back to the
last step).
Hover: To move the cursor over an object or word. Move
mouse pointer on screen with pointing accuracy.
Space Bar: Use for adding a space between words, when
typing sentences.
PARCC: Must Know Terms & Actions
 Answer Box- students will type their responses in an answer box.
 Backspace – used to erase what has been previously typed
 Buttons – the online assessments contain various buttons that
control navigation, response submissions, and steps needed to
complete a problem
 Click – a click is an act of the student pressing down on a mouse
button (or their finger on tablets) in a specific space
 Drag – used in conjunction with a click action, a student will use
a drag to move an object or number throughout the online
platform.
 Drop – Once students click on an item and drag it through the
space they will need to drop it in a designated area. (This is the
final action of clicking and dragging an object, number, or
equation)
PARCC: Must Know Terms & Actions
 Drop Down Menus – Students, at times, are required to choose from
several options on a drop down menu. (They click on a down arrow
which then takes them to a menu of choices needed to complete
the designated response)
 Object – The online assessments also use a variety of objects such as
geometric shapes, tables, charts, diagrams, and pictures. Students
are required to interpret, manipulate, and use the objects to
complete the mathematical work.
 Reset – Students have the ability to clear and reset any completed
mathematical work during the online tests.
 Select – The select command is used as a synonym for the wordchoose. Students are asked to select a variety of items, including
numbers, points on a graph, geometric objects, equations and
functions.
PARCC Assessments
 Beginning in 2014-2015, PARCC Assessments will
replace NJASK in grades 3-8.
 PARCC Assessments are comprised of two sections:
 Performance Based Assessment (PBA)
 End of Year Assessment (EOY)
The ELA PARCC Assessments
“At-a-Glance”
 Structure of the ELA/Literacy PBA Tests includes
three tasks:
-a narrative task, a literature analysis task, and a
research simulation task.
-students will read one/more texts; answer several short
vocabulary and comprehension questions, and write an
essay that requires students to gather evidence from
the text(s).
 Structure of the ELA/Literacy EOY Tests includes
three tasks:
-four/five texts, both literary and informational (including
social science/historical, scientific, and technical texts in
grades 6-11).
-short-answer vocabulary and comprehension
questions will also be associated with each text.
A Look at PARCC’s PerformanceBased Assessment Tasks
 The 3 Performance Based Assessment Tasks are:
I. Narrative Writing
II. Literary Analysis
III. Research Simulation
 Length of Reading Passages:
-Long Passages: Elementary School=800 words/less;
-Short Passages=400 words/less
The Narrative Writing Task
Task:
-Students will be asked to actively read a fictional (but can be non-fictional/
“blended”) story paying attention to the character’s personality development
and motivations.
-Using ideas from the passage, write their own original/creative short story.
-Simply put, they will be asked to complete their own story based on the
narrative.
The Literary Analysis Task
Task:
-Two different types of literary texts.
-Passages will be “brief.”
-Read then compare and contrast each of the
two reading passages.
-Look deeply at the content as well as their
use of language.
Research Simulation Essay: Eliza’s Cherry Trees:
Japan’s Gift to America and “The Peanut Man”
 You have read two texts about famous people in American history
who solved a problem by working to make a change.
 Write an article for your school newspaper describing how Eliza and
Carver faced challenges to change something in America.
-In your article, be sure to describe in detail why some solutions they
tried worked and others did not work.
-Tell how the challenges each one faced were the same and how
they were different.
MATH
TYPE I: TASKS ASSESSING CONCEPTS, SKILLS
AND PROCEDURES

Complete the subtraction
problem by typing the answer
in the box.
TYPE II: TASKS ASSESSING EXPRESSING
MATHEMATICAL REASONING
TYPE III: TASKS ASSESSING MODELING /
APPLICATIONS
How can parents help ?
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Support students with homework
Expose to literature and making connections
Practice automaticity of math facts
Encourage problem solving in multiple ways
Explain the process for problem solving
Listen to students justify their answers
Practice typing
Use technology tools: drag and drop, slide, cut/copy/paste
4th Grade NJASK Science
Science Content Assessed on
NJ ASK
 Life Science
 Earth Science
 Physical Science
Science- Sample Multiple Choice
Questions
Science Sample Open Ended
PARCC/NJASK Testing Dates for 4th
Grade:
PARCC March 9th-13th
PARCC May 4th-8th
NJASK Science May 27th