September+PARCC+Bytes

**September 5, 2013 **
====As you know, Illinois will begin administering new accountability assessments starting next school year (2014-2015), developed by and called “PARCC”, or “Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers”, which will be administered to all students in grades 3-11. These assessments are aligned to the Common Core State Standards, and will be administered electronically. ==== ====Throughout this year, each week we will be digitally sending you information in a “**//PARCC Byte//**” to make sure you have information you need to assist you and your students in this transition. ====

Today’s **//PARCC Byte//** is an update to the accountability assessments for **//this//** school year, 2013-2014 (ISAT and PSAE).

**ISAT, Grades 3-8 **

 * ====ISBE will map **__all items__** on the 2014 ISAT reading and mathematics assessments to Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The reading and mathematics assessments will be composed **//entirely//** of items written to CCSS. ====
 * ====The new cut scores from the 2013 assessments will still be in effect. (Click here for more information on the new cut scores that were applied to the 2013 tests []). ====
 * ====After the revised assessments are completed for the ISAT reading and mathematics assessments, ISBE will provide more specific details about the composition of the ISAT reading and math assessments. This information will be sent in a later **//PARCC Byte//** when it’s available. ====
 * ====The 2014 ISAT science assessments will be developed using the existing science standards. The assessments will be developed with items developed by Illinois educators. ====

**PSAE, Grade 11 **

 * ====The spring 2014 PSAE includes three components: (1) the [|ACT Plus Writing] , which includes the ACT battery of four multiple-choice tests (English, mathematics ====
 * ====, reading, and science) and a writing prompt, (2) an ISBE-developed science assessment, and (3) two [|WorkKeys]  assessments ( <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; text-decoration: none;">[|Applied Mathematics] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> and <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; text-decoration: none;">[|Reading for Information] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">). ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">In addition, in spring 2014, ACT’s WorkKeys [|//Locating Information//]<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> assessment will be administered after the three PSAE Day 2 tests, <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; text-decoration: none;">[|as applicable] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">. This will allow students who earn qualifying scores the opportunity to be eligible for ACT’s <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; text-decoration: none;">[|National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC)] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">. Scores for WorkKeys //Locating Information// assessment will not be used in any PSAEscore calculations. ====

====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Click here to access the PARCC website and sign up for their newsletter! The website is FILLED with great information! [] ====

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">September 12 **
====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> As you know, Illinois will begin administering new accountability assessments starting next school year (2014-2015), called “PARCC”, or “Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers”, which will be administered to students in grades 3-11. These assessments are aligned to the Common Core State Standards, and will be administered electronically. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Throughout this year, we will be digitally sending you information in a “**//PARCC Byte//**” each week to make sure you have information you need to assist you and your students in this transition. ====

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">From the PARCC website: []
====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a consortium of 19 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands working together to develop a common set of K-12 assessments in English and math anchored in what it takes to be ready for college and careers. These new K-12 assessments will build a pathway to college and career readiness by the end of high school, mark students’ progress toward this goal from 3rd grade up, and provide teachers with timely information to inform instruction and provide student support. The PARCC assessments will be ready for states to administer during the 2014-15 school year. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">PARCC received a $186 million grant through the U.S. Department of Education's <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; text-decoration: none;">Race to the Top assessment competition <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> to support the development and design of the next-generation assessment system. Read the application <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; text-decoration: none;">here <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">. ====

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">PARCC states have committed to building a K-12 assessment system that:

 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Builds a pathway to college and career readiness for all students, ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Creates high-quality assessments that measure the full range of the Common Core State Standards, ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Supports educators in the classroom, ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Makes better use of technology in assessments, and ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Advances accountability at all levels. ====

====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">If you have more questions about PARCC Assessments, this year’s ISAT or PSAE Assessments, please visit our digital “[|Parking Lot]” to post your question. We will post answers and links weekly. These questions will also be the focus of regularly scheduled voluntary meetings held throughout the district. Those meeting dates will be shared in the October **//PARCC Bytes//**. ====

====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">[|https://staff.harlem122.org/Curriculum/Lists/Team%20Discussion/Flat.aspx?RootFolder=%2FCurriculum%2FLists%2FTeam%20Discussion%2FPARCC%20Bytes%20Parking%20Lot&FolderCTID=0x0120020036E135F04AC6E04C96749ED9D8E] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 1.066em; line-height: 1.5;">[|484F7] ====

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">September 19 **
====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">As you know, Illinois will begin administering new accountability assessments starting next school year (2014-2015), called “PARCC”, or “Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers”, which will be administered to students in grades 3-11. These assessments are aligned to the Common Core State Standards, and will be administered electronically. ====

====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Throughout this year, we will be digitally sending you information in a “**//PARCC Byte//**” each week to make sure you have information you need to assist you and your students in this transition. ====

The PARCC assessments have six priority purposes, which are driving the design of the system.
The priority purposes of PARCC Assessments are:
 * 1) 1. Determine whether students are college- and career-ready or on track.
 * 2) 2. Assess the full range of the Common Core Standards, including standards that are difficult to measure.
 * 3) 3. Measure the full range of student performance, including the performance high- and low-performing students.
 * 4) 4. Provide data during the academic year to inform instruction, interventions and professional development.
 * 5) 5. Provide data for accountability, including measures of growth.
 * 6) 6. Incorporate innovative approaches throughout the assessment system.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">To learn more about the PARCC Assessment Design, click here: [].

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">September 26 **
====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">As you know, Illinois will begin administering new accountability assessments starting next school year (2014-2015), called “PARCC”, or “Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers”, which will be administered to students in grades 3-11. These assessments are aligned to the Common Core State Standards, and will be administered electronically. ====

====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Throughout this year, we will be digitally sending you information in a “**//PARCC Byte//**” each week to make sure you have information you need to assist you and your students in this transition. ====

====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Unlike current state assessments, the PARCC assessments will provide information on the full range of knowledge and skills needed to be career and college ready or on track toward that goal. And, they will measure the skills and knowledge of students working significantly beyond or behind their grade level. These improvements from current tests will help teachers guide instruction and give more information to students and their parents. ====

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Illinois is experiencing major reforms:

 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">• Each student in the state should be equipped with the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to pursue higher education and enter the workforce in the 21st century. ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">• A world-class education is a necessity as we become more of a global economy in which our students compete with peers around the state, across the country and around the world for the jobs of tomorrow. ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">• Schools have begun implementing the Common Core State Standards, a multi-state initiative that established year-by-year guidelines outlining the skills and content our students must master at each grade level to continue on the path to college and career readiness. ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">• The Common C ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">ore standards are higher, fewer and deeper than the Illinois Learning Standards in providing greater strength in preparing students for 21st century careers. ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">• The adjustment of performance levels on the ISAT is needed to better inform administrators, teachers and students of students’ progress toward college and career readiness, especially as we move to implementation of the Common Core and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments. ====