20 things Tennesseans should know about the PARCC assessment
1. Tennesseans are playing a major role in the development of PARCC. Currently, the ELA and Math
components of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) are designed by assessment
companies outside our state. In contrast, we have strong representation and input in the development of
the PARCC assessment.
 Tennessee is a governing state with 1 Governing Board member and 1 Advisory Committee on
College Readiness member, and Tennessee is also well represented in sub-committees with:
 29 item reviewers
 19 leader cadre members
 44 members of various other committees
2. PARCC will be a part of TCAP, along with Achievement tests and End of Course (EOC) tests.
 Grades 3-11 will take the PARCC assessments for Math and ELA.
 Science and Social Studies tests will continue as Achievement and EOC tests.
3. One of the most valuable things about participating in PARCC is that it will allow Tennesseans to see how our
students achieve and grow academically compared to students in other PARCC states.
 We will have access to state-wide data that is a true apples-to-apples comparison of student progress
in multiple states based on common proficiency levels in grades 3 through 11. In the past, our
comparisons on common assessments have been limited to small samples in no more than three
grade levels.
4. Unlike previous tests within TCAP, the PARCC assessments will allow educators to assess student progress
throughout the year—not just at the end of the year.
 A formative assessment will be given in February/March. An end of year assessment will be given in
April.
 For high schools on a block schedule, formative and end of course assessments will be given in each
semester that a course is offered.
5. Students’ final scores will reflect their performance on both the formative and the end of year or end of
course assessments. Each section of the PARCC assessment will be weighted so that students receive a single
score in ELA/literacy and a single score in Math.
6. Writing will be a major component (60%) of the ELA/literacy section of PARCC. Students will be assessed
through their writing, not by answering multiple choice tests about writing.
7. More than 60% of the questions on the PARCC Math assessment will focus on the main concepts of the
grade. This means more questions will directly assess critical content students need to master to be prepared
for the next grade level. Current assessments have a larger emphasis on procedural fluency as opposed to
conceptual understanding.
8. The PARCC assessment will feature many different types of questions – not just multiple choice. Students
will be asked to:
 Write an essay, create a model, or draw a graph to explain an answer
 Select a response from options, not always four choices
 Provide an answer vs. picking an answer
 Use technology in an interactive way to manipulate data and content
9. Students’ work will be scored by highly trained reviewers who will assess students’ mastery of key concepts.
10. The PARCC assessments will be administered online. Not all students will take the test online at the same
time, which will minimize disruptions to teaching and learning.
11. Computer-based testing will support a wide variety of accommodations and accessibility features for
students with disabilities.
12. There will no longer be standalone questions about grammar. Instead, grammar will be assessed through
writing. This means students will be expected to consistently use the language skills for their grade level
throughout the assessment.
13. The passages used in the ELA/literacy components of PARCC will come from previously published texts. This
means none of the passages will be created solely for the assessment, as was the case with previous
assessment passages.
14. The PARCC ELA assessments will be focused on reading and vocabulary, and students will be required to
provide evidence for their answers. Vocabulary questions will focus on the meaning as presented in the
text, rather than a standalone definition.
15. Tennessee will offer the PARCC math assessments for high school in the traditional course sequence and
integrated course sequence. What sequence is used will be a district-level decision.
 Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II
 Core Math I, Core Math II, Core Math III
16. On the PARCC math assessments, students can receive partial credit for their answers for correct procedure
or explanations of their reasoning; however, students must provide a precise answer to get the FULL point
value.
17. Students in grades 3-6 will also be assessed in math on their speed and accuracy with basic mathematic
procedures, such as multiplication facts, without the use of a calculator.
18. In grades 6-11, the PARCC Math assessments will include calculator and non-calculator sections.
 Grades 6-7 will have access to a four function calculator
 Grade 8 will have access to a scientific calculator
 Grades 9-11 will have access to a graphing calculator with functionality similar to a TI-84
19. In grades 5 and higher on the PARCC math assessment, there will be a reference sheet for students to use.
These sheets will include information such as formulas or measurement information that students can use in
solving problems.
20. Tennessee’s public universities have pledged to use PARCC as an indicator of a student’s readiness for credit
bearing work at the collegiate level. This means that at all grade levels, PARCC results will give students and
parents information about whether they are on track toward meaningful options when they graduate high
school. Students who do well on PARCC will know they are genuinely ready for college or a career.
This document is based on the Tennessee Department of Education’s “20 Things Every Tennessee Teacher Should Know about the
PARCC Assessment.”