PARCC Practice Tests

TCAP is gone and a new era of state assessments are fast approaching. The CCSS (Common Core State Standards) will be assessed in Colorado by one of the large consortium called the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC). These assessments will be taken online by students beginning in third grade. The most noticeable difference between the TCAP and PARCC is that PARCC will gather data from numerous states and millions of students. The intent is to determine where students compare on a national level rather than simply to peers in the state. There are 13 states that will take the PARCC assessements with over 12 million K-12 students occupying those states.

With these new assessments comes an adjustment period. By taking a look at the PARCC practice tests, you should be able to notice the increased complexity of test items. Students will need to be able to navigate the technical aspects of the TestNav platform as well as be able to understand what is being asked of them. The PARCC assessments are different than any formal assessment that student's have taken at the elementary level because along with understanding the content assessed, they will need to know how to communication that information in a digital form. I would advise all parents to take a look at the practice test items to get an idea of what your student will be experiencing beginning this year. If you have questions about the Common Core or PARCC, please do not hesitate to ask me.

Here is the link to the practice tests. http://practice.parcc.testnav.com/#

Students will be tested in English/Language Arts and Math.  

-Mr. Watanabe