February+PARCC+Bytes


 * February 6 **

PARCC has moved the sample items that you’ve seen on the website to the same platform that students will use on the field test. This means teachers, students, parents and others will be able to engage with the sample items using computer-based tools such as drag-and-drop, multiple select, text highlighting, and equation builder. PARCC 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.
 * PARCC Online! **

You may try this on your own, with some or all of your students, and even send the link home to parents. A few suggestions from those who have already tried to use the site:
 * 1) //1. // //Taking students through the Tutorial will be very important. Link on this page: //[|//http://practice.parcc.testnav.com/#//]//. //
 * 2) //2. // //A possible problem for some students: I noticed that you don’t have to click on the radio button to choose an item. I inadvertently changed some of my answers when I clicked on the words – not the button - for a different choice (I tend to click on what I am reading, causing the answer to change as I review my options). //
 * 3) //3. // //I have received several error messages. If you have any problems or receive any error messages, please make sure you send them to ////PARCC@support.pearson.com////and get an Incident Number. //

You can find the sample items and the tutorials at [|http://practice.parcc.testnav.com/#]

PARCC has developed writing rubrics which will be used in scoring Prose Constructed Response (PCR) Items.
 * February 13 **

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The PARCC **Summative** Assessments will include three performance-based tasks, each culminating in a prose constructed response (PCR) item. The narrative writing task requires that students write using a text stimulus, but the response is **//scored only for written expression and knowledge of language and conventions//**. The other two PCRS, associated with the Research Simulation Task and the Literary Analysis Task, are scored for reading, written expression, and knowledge of language and conventions.
 * <span style="color: #6f2f9f; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">PARCC Scoring of Prose Constructed Response Items: **

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">PARCC has developed draft generic rubrics for the scoring of the three PCR items. The language of these rubrics is aligned to the CCSS, the PARCC writing evidences, and the PARCC content specific performance-level descriptors at the given grade level. To ensure reliable scoring of each PCR, PARCC will create an item specific scoring guide that includes sample scored and annotated student writings produced in response to the specific item. Human scorers will be trained to use the item-specific scoring guides developed for each PCR, with reliability of scoring for each scorer checked carefully throughout the scoring process.

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Since the PARCC rubrics use the language of the CCSS, teachers may find them useful tools to score final written essays and writings produced during classroom instruction. Teachers using the generic rubrics for classroom assessment purposes will likely want to pull together assignment- specific examples of student writing that meet the top score points and use these samples and the language of the rubric to show students models of excellence. Teachers may also wish to work with students who have not achieved excellence to discuss how those students’ individual works, with effective revisions, could better meet the criteria for excellence described in the rubric (i.e. to best meet the grade-level CCSS). <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* After standard setting for the first operational PARCC assessments, teachers will be able to use released sample tasks and the annotated scoring guides to understand the rigor required to produce “on track” or “college and career ready” work as defined by the PARCC assessments. Prior to that time, teachers may find it useful to continue to work collaboratively and to discuss student performances to accurately and fairly assess student work. <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* When working to help students develop an understanding of specific writing skills, the classroom teacher may use language from one of the dimensions on the rubric, along with models of student writing, to exemplify the criteria for mastery of a skill. <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Teachers may use language from the draft rubrics to create their own classroom rubrics or other formative assessment tools that are aligned to the standards. <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Until standard setting is completed and complete performance-based tasks, along with scored student responses, are released, educators should be cautious in making assumptions about where the standard will be set to allow for a student response to be considered “on track” to, or representing, college- and career-ready performance levels. <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* The draft rubrics are not designed to replace the CCSS—teachers should focus instruction on the standards and not on the rubrics. <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* The draft rubrics are designed to allow for assessment of summative, final PARCC prose constructed response items. Research on best practices in teaching and assessing ELA suggests that it would be unwise and counterproductive to expect students to use these rubrics as “checklists” to produce writing.
 * <span style="color: #6f2f9f; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Potential uses for the PARCC rubrics during classroom instruction: **
 * <span style="color: #6f2f9f; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cautions: **

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Below are a few readily available online resources which may be helpful as teachers consider how best to use the released PARCC draft rubrics: <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">1. The Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA): <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://www.carla.umn.edu/assessment/vac/Evaluation/p_4.html <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. An article in ASCD’s Ed Leadership Journal : <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb00/vol57/num05/Using-Rubrics-to-Promote-Thinking-and-Learning.aspx <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. A primer on rubrics f <span style="color: #212121; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">rom Saskatchewan Learning (1998) <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">: <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=13&ved=0CDYQFjACOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.education.gov.sk.ca%2FDefault.aspx%3FDN%3Dc300841e-940f-48ac-867d-dc7d5fbcc575&ei=5qb2UakLzuPgA9P-gfgP&usg=AFQjCNGXxptLEn8ppPv_oxfWbimpdmO86Q&sig2=aOCseZkyUr-ywlmJrzeH1w
 * <span style="color: #6f2f9f; font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Research on use of rubrics in teaching English Language Arts: **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">February 20 **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Math Sample Items With Common Core Breakdown Information **

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Attached are three documents (one each for Grade 4, Grade 8 and High School) that will be helpful to you in planning instruction of Common Core standards in Math, and in preparation for PARCC Assessments. The first page of each document includes a sample PARCC assessment question. The next pages guide you through the specific details about the question. It includes:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Evidence Statement
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Most Relevant Standards for Mathematical Content
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Most Relevant Standards for Mathematical Practice
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Item Description and Assessment Qualities
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Scoring Information

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 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">February 27 **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Literacy Sample Items With Common Core Breakdown Information **

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Attached are three documents (one each for Grade 3, Grade 7 and Grade 10) that will be helpful to you in planning instruction of Common Core standards in ELA, and in preparation for PARCC Assessments.

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Each sample item presented includes information on:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">the advances in assessment and answers to the items;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">an explanation of the alignment of the item to the standards and PARCC evidence statements; and
 * <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">item scoring rules and rationale.