News from PARCC

At the end of August, PARCC released its  phase 1 item and task prototypes in an effort to provide information to educators and support their transition to preparing students for the forthcoming next-generation, technology-based assessments in 2014-2015. So far the consortium has provided a sampling of ELA passages, items, and rubrics for grades 3, 6, 7, and 10 as well as a PowerPoint presentation to share additional information about these prototypes. Additional samples and rubrics will be developed and posted on their site  in the coming months.

As we begin the 2012-2013 school year, you may want to take a look at these prototypes–even if PARCC has not provided one yet for the grade level you’re teaching. And it’s helpful to look at multiple prototypes to get a sense of how multiple-choice, constructed response, and essay responses are being designed, as not all of these types of items are reflected in the samples for individual grade levels. The samples provided demonstrate a much greater emphasis on using evidence from texts and indicate how students will use the drag-and-drop and highlighting features available with digital text to explicitly cite the evidence for their answers.

I will post more information as it becomes available. In the meantime, I hope you have a great start to the 2012-2013 school year!

PARCC Survey on Model Content Frameworks for ELA/Literacy Open Until June 27

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers sent the following information out in an email last evening. It is also posted on the PARCC website. Even at this busy time of year, I hope you will take a look at the latest version of the Model Content Frameworks for ELA/Literacy and provide feedback through the 6-question survey. These frameworks are being used to guide curriculum and assessment development aligned to the Common Core Standards.

PUBLIC COMMENT SOUGHT ON THE PARCC MODEL CONTENT FRAMEWORKS FOR ELA/LITERACY

Washington, D.C. – June 13, 2012 – The state-led Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is seeking a second round of public comment on the Model Content Frameworks for English Language Arts (ELA)/Literacy as part of an on-going development process to ensure the frameworks meet the needs of educators, curriculum directors and school leaders.

In November 2011, PARCC released Model Content Frameworks to inform item development and to support implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). That release was based on multiple rounds of feedback, including a public comment period in August 2011. Now that the frameworks have been in the field for several months, PARCC is again looking for the education community to provide feedback on the frameworks in order to clarify any language or make any necessary corrections.

The initial public review resulted in a number of conceptual changes in the frameworks, which are detailed through a recorded webinar and presentations at www.parcconline.org/parcc-content-frameworks.

Download the PARCC Model Content Frameworks for ELA/Literacy in PDF format.

The public comment survey for ELA/Literacy will be open until Friday, June 27th. Users can access the feedback survey at www.parcconline.org. PARCC will revise the frameworks during the month of July with the goal of releasing final versions later this summer. Once the frameworks are final, PARCC will hold public webinars to walk through the changes. Information about the webinars will be available on the PARCC website later this summer.

PARCC also will seek public comment on the Model Content Frameworks for Mathematics, including updates to the frameworks for high school, starting June 25th.