Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)
Twenty-six states are working together in the
Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. The new assessment system will greatly increase the number of graduating students who are ready to succeed after graduating. Illinois is one of 11 states serving on PARCC’s governing board, helping to lead the way.
These 26 states have adopted the new K-12 Common Core State Standards in English and math and are pooling their resources for an internationally benchmarked assessment system. New standards in other subjects are being developed, too. Students who score proficient on the assessments will be on track for success in college and the workplace. Younger schoolchildren will demonstrate they are on pace for high school.
The new online assessments, which will be ready for states to administer by the 2014-15 school year, will be better aligned with higher education demands. More than 200 higher education institutions across the 26 states have committed to participate in the partnership and will contribute to the design of the high school assessments.
Compared to traditional tests, the online assessments will aim to engage students in more meaningful demonstrations of their knowledge and understanding. The New Learning Standards incorporate more real-world situations so students can learn important skills to utilize in the workplace and higher education.
The online assessments will also provide teachers and administrators more feedback on student progress from K-12, allowing for them to better target and adjust instruction. Students and parents will also benefit from more information about performance compared to achievement standards, as well as state comparisons.
PARCC Resources
For more information on the Common Core State Standards, log onto
www.corestandards.org.
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Fewer, clearer, higher
• Internationally benchmarked
• 21st Century Skills
• Evidence‐based
