PARCC Results were announced statewide by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. The Test results are improved in the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment in Mathematics and English Language arts for the 2015-16 school year.

A greater percentage of students have met or have exceeded expectations in all subjects and grade levels. This indicates that the students are on pace to be in college and are career ready.

Governor Christie said “We are encouraged by the positive gains made by our students on the PARCC assessment, New Jersey’s educational system is one of the best in the nation, and we are committed to keep pushing for improvements that will continue student success. We pursued the higher-quality assessment because we knew our students were well-positioned to meet the challenge, and these results further validate that approach.”

This is the second consecutive year that the PARCC assessments are being administered in New Jersey.

Students are asked to demonstrate their understanding of the State’s academic standards and apply their knowledge and skills by utilizing critical thinking, analytical writing and problem solving.

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments are designed to provide teachers and school administrators useful insights and information that can help improve classroom instruction.

Additionally, the number of students who participated in the PARCC tests have also increased. This shows that parents and educators are understanding the values the assessments in providing vital information that can improve schools and inform parents

Education Commissioner David C. Hespe said,“Thanks to the tremendous job done by school administrators and teachers, these results are exactly what we would expect, The Department will continue to collaborate with districts to support their efforts in using PARCC as one tool in preparing students for a successful future.”

Feedback from educators resulted in a number of improvements being made in the second year of PARCC administration.

The PARCC tests were 90 minutes shorter, there were fewer testing sessions, and number of testing windows were
reduced from two to one.

Teachers and students had benefited from the modifications, resulting in lesser amount of time spent on the statewide assessments.

Source: http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/toc.htm
pdf: http://nj.gov/governor/news/news/552016/pdf/20160802a.pdf