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    PARCC FAQ


    OVERVIEW

     

    What is PARCC?

    The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a computer based assessment of Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy Skills that measure whether students are on track to be successful in college and their careers and if students are meeting the new common core standards.  The PARCC assessments are designed to replace the NJASK in grades 3-8 in Language Arts and Mathematics and the HSPA in grade 11.  The PARCC assessments will be administered to students beginning in the spring on 2015.

     

    Will the PARCC assessment be used for academic placement for the 2015-2016 school year?

    No.  Academic placement regulations detail multiple measures which provide the data needed to appropriately place students without the need for state standardized test results.

     

    Do I have the option for my child to opt-out of the PARCC assessment?

    No.  The district is obligated by state regulations to administer the PARCC exam to all students.  That said, the Glen Ridge Schools will remain thoughtful to the needs of all children.

     

    When will the PARCC be administered?

    The PARCC assessment is composed of 2 parts, the Performance-Based Assessment (PBA) or long answer questions and the End-of-Year (EOY) component or short answer questions.  Beginning March 2, 2015, the Performance-Based Assessment portion of the PARCC assessment will be administered to all students in grades 3 through 11.  Beginning April 27, 2015 the End-of-Year portion of the PARCC assessment will be administered to all students in grades 3 through 11.

     

    Dates for each grade, including make-up dates, can be found on www.glenridge.org

     

    ENSURING STUDENTS ARE PREPARED FOR PARCC

     

    How are the schools preparing our students academically?

    All curricula are aligned with the Common Core State Standards, and the instructional sequence has been organized to address the most crucial PARCC content before testing begins in March.  PARCC testing mirrors the kind of high quality work students are already doing in our classrooms throughout the year.

     

    Are there sample PARCC assessments available?

    PARCC released online tutorials that demonstrate how to navigate the test.  These tutorials and sample assessments are accessible at this web address: http://practice.parcc.testnav.com/#.  Teachers have reviewed these tutorials to ensure students are practicing technology skills.

     

    What are schools doing to help students master the technological skills required by the PARCC exam?

    Keyboarding skills have been incorporated into instructional plans throughout the district for many years.  Also, students have had the opportunity to complete practice questions on the computer, allowing them to become familiar with the technology tools that they will be using during the test.  Long before PARCC, our district has been using various online learning programs to enhance content skills with students (ex: Study Island).

     

    USE OF PARCC DATA

     

    Is passing the PARCC assessment a requirement for graduation?

    NO.  School counselors can certify that a student in the classes of 2016, 2017, and 2018 met the state proficiency requirements in many ways.  For instance, a student may demonstrate proficiency via an SAT or ACT score in addition to the NJDOE’s long standing portfolio appeal process.  However, if a student does pass a PARCC assessment in English Language Arts or Mathematics, the school may use those scores as a demonstration of proficiency.  The state will be providing additional guidance to schools on how to determine proficiencies on substitute assessments and the PARCC assessments.  It is anticipated that passing the PARCC assessments will become a graduation requirement for the class of 2019.

    Do students in the middle school who are taking Algebra 1 or Geometry have to take the Algebra 1 or Geometry PARCC assessment?

    Yes.  If a student is enrolled in Algebra 1 or Geometry, while in middle school, he/she will be administered the PARCC Algebra 1 or Geometry assessment in lieu of the grade level math PARCC exam.

    Will the Performance Based Assessment (PBA) and the End-of-Year (EOY) Assessment be scored separately?

    No, students will receive a single score report that brings together the student’s performance on both the Performance Based Assessment (PBA) and the End-of-Year (EOY) Assessment sessions.

     

    Is a student who does not pass the PARCC Assessment required to retake the assessment?

    No.  A student is not required to retake the assessment or retake the course based on their PARCC scores.

     

    TEST ADMINISTRATIVE AND SCHEDULE

     

    How long is the PARCC exam?

    The Performance-Based Assessment portion of the PARCC assessment requires 5 sessions (2 Math, 3 Language Arts) and the End-of-Year portion of the PARCC assessment requires 4 exam sessions (2 Math, 2 Language Arts). 

     

    Will a student be scheduled for more than one test session per day?

    No.  Although multiple sections will be given in one day, a student will participate in only one test session per day.  Each testing session must be completed within the same day and schools must schedule according to “Total Administration Time,” so that students who need the additional time are able to use it.

     

    When will the 2015 PARCC scores be available to school districts?

    Student score reports will be not be available until after the 2015-20166 school year begins. Possibly as late as November 2015.  

     

    Are accommodations available for students?

    Yes.  The PARCC Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual on the PARCC website provide guidance to districts and decision-making teams to ensure that the PARCC assessments provide valid results for all participating students.

     

    TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS

     

    Is our District PARCC ready?

    The Glen Ridge School District meets and exceeds all recommendations provided by PARCC and the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE).  All school districts were required to provide a detailed listing of the network infrastructure and computer devices that would be used to administer the PARCC assessment.  Reports were made available rating each school’s readiness on a scale of 0 through 9, where 0 represents no PARCC technology readiness and 9 represents that all recommendations were met or exceeded.  Glen Ridge and all individual schools received a score of 9 in all categories.

     

    What technology equipment will my child use for the PARCC assessment?

    Each student will use either a PC or Chrome book when taking the PARCC assessment.  A headset and mouse will also be available. 

     

    Does our District have the appropriate internet and WI-FI Connectivity?

    Yes.

    As always, if you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or Principal.  The Parent Information Session on February 24th at 7pm in the RAS Auditorium will focus on many of the areas outlined in this FAQ