The Parent’s Guide to
The Common Core and
PARCC Assessment
MORRIS SCHOOL DISTRICT
SPRING 2014
What is the Common Core?
Three-Minute Video Explaining the Common Core State Standards
Common Core Standards
 Common Core State Standards (CCCS) provide a consistent,
clear understanding of what students are expected to learn to
be college and career ready. The PARCC Assessments
measure student progress toward standards.
 In June 2010, the New Jersey State Board of Education
(NJBOE) and the New Jersey Department of Education
(NJDOE) adopted the CCCS.
 These Educational standards in Math and English Language
Arts were developed nationally in collaboration with teachers,
school administrators, and experts to provide a clear and
consistent framework to prepare our children for college and
the workforce.
Common Core Standards
 The Common Core Standards
 Are aligned with college and work expectations;
 Are clear, understandable, and consistent;
 Include rigorous content and application of knowledge
through high-order skills;
 Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;
and,
 Are evidence based.
46 States and DC Have Adopted the Common
Core Standards
How Will The Standards Be Different?
 Include rigorous content and application of
knowledge through higher-order thinking skills
 Provide performance-based collaborative activities
and assessments
 Integrate literacy across content areas including
Science and Social Studies
 Place stronger emphasis on informational text,
research, and media skills
Instructional Shifts in ELA
 6 Shifts in ELA
 Read as much nonfiction as fiction
 Learn about the world by reading
 Read more challenging material closely
 Discuss reading using evidence
 Write non-fiction using evidence
 Increase academic vocabulary
Instructional Shifts in Math
 6 Shifts in Mathematics
 Focus: Learn more about fewer, key topics
 Coherence: Build skills within and across grades
 Fluency: Develop speed and accuracy
 Deep Understanding: Really know it, really do it
 Application of Concepts: Use them in the real world
 Dual Intensity: Practice/Understand-Think fast & solve
problems
ELA Shift 1:
Read as Much Non-Fiction as Fiction
Students Must...
Parents Can…
Read more non-fiction
Supply more non-fiction
Know the ways non-fiction can be put
together
Read and discuss more non-fiction with
your child
Enjoy and discuss the details of nonfiction
Have fun with non-fiction in front of
children
ELA Shift 2:
Learn About the World by Reading
Students Must…
Parents Can…
Build proficiency in Science and Social
Studies through reading
Supply series of text on topics of
interest
Handle “primary source” documents
Find books that explain
Get “smarter” through text
Discuss non-fiction text and the ideas
within
ELA Shift 3:
Read More Complex Material Carefully
Students Must…
Parents Can…
Re-Read
Provide more challenging text that
students WANT to and can read
Read material at comfort level AND
work with more challenging text
Know grade level/reading level
appropriate text
Unpack text
Read challenging text with student
Handle frustration and keep pushing
Show that challenging text is worth
unpacking
ELA Shift 4:
Discuss Reading Using Evidence
Students Must…
Parents Can…
Find evidence to support their
arguments
Talk about text
Form judgments
Demand evidence in every day
discussions/disagreements
Become scholars
Read aloud or read the same book and
discuss with evidence
Discuss authors’ point of view
ELA Shift 5:
Discuss Reading Using Evidence
Students Must…
Parents Can…
Make arguments in writing using
evidence
Encourage writing at home
Compare multiple texts in writing
Write “books” together and use
evidence/details
Write well
ELA Shift 6:
Academic Vocabulary
Students Must…
Parents Can…
Learn the words that they can use in
college and career
Read often and constantly with your
children
Get smarter about using
“language of power”
Provide multiple books on the same
topic
Talk to your children about reading
Listen to your children read
Play word and rhyming games with
your children
Mathematics Shift 1:
Focus: Learn More About Less
Students Must…
Parents Can…
Spend more time on fewer concepts
Know what the priority work is for their
children and grade levels
Spend time with their children on
priority work
Ask teachers about progress on priority
work
Mathematics Shift 2:
Coherence: Skills Across Grades
Students Must…
Parents Can…
Keep building on learning year after
year
Be aware of child’s struggles and how
they could impact future learning
Advocate for their child and ensure that
support is given for “gap” skills
Mathematics Shift 3:
Fluency: Speed and Accuracy
Students Must…
Parents Can…
Spend time practicing many problems
on the same idea
Push children to know/memorize basic
math facts
Know all fluencies their child should
have and prioritize learning the ones
children haven’t mastered
Mathematics Shift 4:
Deep Understanding: Know It/Do It!
Students Must…
Parents Can…
UNDERSTAND why the math works.
Make the math work.
Notice whether your child REALLY
knows why the answer is what it is
TALK about why the math works
Provide time your child needs to learn
key math
PROVE that they know why and how
the math works
Be familiar with the math your child
needs to know
Mathematics Shift 5:
Application of Concepts: Real World
Students Must…
Parents Can…
Apply math in real world situations
Ask your children to do the math that
comes up in their daily life
Know which math to use for which
situation
Mathematics Shift 6:
Dual Intensity: Practice & Understand/Think Fast & Solve
Students Must…
Parents Can…
Be able to use core math facts FAST
Notice which skills your child is smart
in and where they need to get smarter
Make sure your child is PRACTICING
math facts he/she struggles with
Be able to apply math in the real world
Make sure your child is thinking about
math in real life
Mathematical Practice Standards
 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
 Reason abstractly and quantitatively
 Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of





others
Model with mathematics
Use appropriate tools strategically
Attend to precision
Look for and make sense of structure
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning
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 of 19 states 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 Assessments
 Beginning in 2014-2015, PARCC Assessments will
replace NJASK in grades 3-8. At the high school
level, End of Course exams will be introduced for
English 9, 10, 11 and Algebra 1, Geometry and
Algebra 2.
 PARCC Assessments are comprised of two sections:
 Performance Based Assessment (PBA)
 End of Year Assessment (EQY)
Two Required Assessments
Yield Overall Score
29
Beginning of School Year
End of
School
Year
Flexible
administration
Diagnostic
Assessment
Mid-Year
Assessment
PerformanceBased
Assessment
End-of-Year
Assessment
Speaking and
Listening
Assessment
Key:
Optional
Required
PARCC Assessments
Teachers, students, parents, and others can engage with the sample items
using computer-based tools such as drag-and-drop, multiple select, text
highlighting, and an equation builder. PARCC has also released online
tutorials that demonstrate how students will navigate the test, how to use
the computer-based tools, and features that make the test more accessible
for all students, including those with disabilities and English learners.
Sample Sets
In the Morris School District…
 Are we prepared for PARCC?
 Full Implementation of CCSS for 2013-14
 Focus on informational text (non-fiction), citing text, and
critical analysis in ELA
 Focus on fact fluency and problem solving in Mathematics
In the Morris School District…
 What about the technology needs that are required
for computer-based testing?



Technology specifications for computer-based testing was sent
to districts two-years ago.
Recent upgrades to our network systems and the additional
purchasing of equipment has put MSD “ahead of the curve” in
the area of PARCC preparedness.
Increased focus on technology skills such as typing, “click &
drag”, and utilizing multiple windows has been a priority at
each school.
Questions?
Resources and References
www.corestandards.org
www.achievethecore.org
www.PARCConline.org
www.morrisschooldistrict.org