Schools

Forum to Explain New State Testing Requirements Thursday

Framingham Superintendent of Schools Stacy Scott said he plans to recommend to the Framingham School Committee the district accept PARCC testing for grades 3-8.

The Massachusetts Association of School Committeeand the Framingham School Committee is co-hosting a panel discussion on the implementation of the new Common Core Curriculum and the PARCC exam Thursday, June 5 at Framingham High School at 7 p.m.

The public is invited to attend and light refreshments will be served prior to the event.

PARCC stands for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. 

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PARCC is a group of states working together to develop a set of assessments to measure whether students are on track to be successful in college and their careers. 

The high quality, computer-based K–12 assessments in mathematics and English language arts/literacy provide teachers, schools, students, and parents better information whether students are on track in their learning and for success after high school, and tools to help teachers customize learning to meet student needs, according to the PARCC website.

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The PARCC assessments will be ready for states to administer during the 2014-15 school year. 

Framingham School Committe Chair Bev Hugo, who is also the Chair of the Boston Metropolitan Region of Massachusetts Association of School Committees  (Division II), will moderate the discussion.

Superintendent Stacy Scott,  Ed Gotgart, Framingham Teacher Association Co-Presidents Mike Koziara and Sarah Smith and Jae Goodwin, 2010 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year all will speak about the impact that its adoption has in Framingham.

Everything from the financial impact, the changes in the classroom, the differences in the new curriculum compared to the state's curriculum frameworks and the MCAS and the policy implications for the Framingham School Committee will be discussed.

On Tuesday night, Framingham Superintendent of Schools Scott said he plans to recommend to the Framingham School Committee the district accept PARCC testing for grades 3-8.

The Framingham School Committee will vote at its June 17, whether to administer the PARCC test district-wide next year.

School Committees set policy for the district. 

We have recently become aware of a ruling that the decision to continue with the MCAS test or change to the PARCC test is a School Committee decision that must be made by July 1, said Hugo.

There will be a Q&A afterwards, said Hugo.

PARCC is based on the core belief that assessment should work as a tool for enhancing teaching and learning. Because the assessments are aligned with the new, more rigorous Common Core State Standards (CCSS), they ensure that every child is on a path to college and career readiness by measuring what students should know at each grade level. They will also provide parents and teachers with timely information to identify students who may be falling behind and need extra help.

Click here for PARCC FAQs.

PARCC is made up of: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Tennessee.



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