October+2014

October 2, 2014
Text complexity worksheets helps to guide an educator’s understanding of the standards and outlines how to select texts for instructional purposes.

The worksheets help educators determine text complexity, select a variety of text types, select passages that allow for a range of standards/evidences to be demonstrated, pair passages effectively, and meet demands of bias and sensitivity guidelines.

By the time they graduate, students should be prepared to read and analyze the types of complex texts they will encounter after high school. Selecting passages of appropriate type and complexity for use in assessment is integral to this preparation.

Blueprints are a series of documents that together describe the content and structure of an assessment. These documents define the total number of tasks and/or items for any given assessment component, the standards measured, the item types, and the point values for each.

Evidence statement tables and evidence statements describe the knowledge and skills that an assessment item or a task elicits from students.

The blueprints and evidence statement tables help educators better understand the design of the PARCC assessments.

The Practice Test was developed so that all students – not just those involved in the field testing – can experience PARCC test items the way they will appear on the tests starting in spring 2015.

Try out sample test questions on the technology platform that students used during the spring 2014 field test. 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.

Teachers want all of their students to be familiar with the technologies used on the PARCC assessments so none will be at a disadvantage due to lack of exposure to technology. The technology tutorial is designed to equal the playing field. Students can run through the tutorial using a school’s devices and become confident in using the technologies prior to taking the PARCC assessments. The technology tutorial provides online instruction in how to use the PARCC assessment technology and functionalities.Teachers may consider how best to incorporate technologies like those demonstrated in the tutorial during instruction throughout the academic year.

<span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">PTA Parents' Guide to Student Success

<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">The National Parent Teacher Association has created grade-by-grade overviews of the Common Core State Standards and what students should be learning at each grade in mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy in order to be prepared forcollege and careers.

<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">The PTA guides are available in English and Spanish and are excellent resources for educators to introduce parents to high quality standards and assessments.

<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">//<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">P ////<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">ARCC for Educators, // <span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">the first customized learning object, features videos of interviews with educators from the PARCC states—from preparation to implementation to practice. The resource also includes PARCC-related sources for download and the ability to share the videos and resources via social media.

<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">//<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">P ////<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">ARCC for Educators // <span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">is just the first in a series of customized learning objects that will expand to include: //PARCC for Parents//, //PARCC for Students//, //PARCC’s ELA/Literacy Assessments// and //PARCC’s Mathematics Assessments//. This resource is located onthe <span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">PBS Learning Media site. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Share away with your fellow educators, colleagues and friends!

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">October 23
**<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">PARCC ELA/Literacy Specifications **  **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> (Updated and Refined 2014) ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Over the course of the year and as a result of lessons learned from the extensive PARCC field test, PARCC has updated and refined several key ELA/literacy specifications. The updated specifications documents will help educators and the general public better understand the refinements to the design of the ELA/literacy summative assessments.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The specifications updated include: **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">PARCC ELA/Literacy Combined Common Forms Specifications **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">In order to reduce testing time yet maintain integrity in measuring the CCSS, the PARCC Common Forms Specification have been refined.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Mid-Year, Performance-Based, and End-of-Year forms specifications have been combined.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The list of Task Generation Models in the PBA Forms Specifications has been updated to reflect newly added Task Generation Models.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Point totals have been adjusted to reflect changes made to the Scoring Rubrics and the reduction of passage sets on the End-of-Year forms specifications.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">PARCC Evidence Tables for ELA/literacy (Reading) **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Evidence statements that apply only to the Diagnostic assessment were added. These evidence statements are clearly labeled as “For Diagnostic Only.”
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A small number of evidence statements were combined to allow for more accurate alignment of items to the CCSS.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Task Models for ELA/literacy **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A few task models were added to account for viable, engaging, and CCSS-aligned tasks brought forward during the first phases of item development.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A few task models were modified to account for lessons learned during the first phases of item development.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Passage Selection and Item Guidelines **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Passage Selection and Item Guidelines documents were updated to reflect changes made to the ELA/literacy specifications documents.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">October 30
<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif;">Here is a link to a great document with printable posters that explain PARCC terms!

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif;">This was created by a company called “Wowzers” (you may have received emails from them advertising their products); the last page is a link to a website (Wowzers) for a pilot for online math. I am not endorsing this company by sending this, just providing you with some nice visuals for your students J <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif;">.

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">This link will take you to the online practice site. [|http://practice.parcc.testnav.com/#]