The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is one of the two-state consortiums responsible for developing assessments aligned to the new, more rigorous Common Core State Standards. A combination of educational leaders from PARCC governing and participating states, along with test developers, have worked together to create the new computer-based English Language Arts and Math Assessments. Because these exams are so different, teachers and students need to understand what the tests will look like and arrange them.
The purpose of the PARCC, English Language Arts assessment, is to assess students’ knowledge of both reading and writing simultaneously. Reading and writing go hand in hand and should be evaluated that way as well. A good assessment combines various question types, which test the student’s understanding of the concepts related to multiple standards and the proper usage of the same, in other words, evaluating the student’s knowledge and skill.
To succeed in exams, it is essential to know what the assessments will look like regarding the questions and the time available to answer. Knowing what the test looks like combined with rigorous practice will help the student crack the exam and score well.
Types of questions in PARRC English Language Arts exam:
Each test will consist of a combination of three new types of questions:
The Performance-Based Assessment (PBA) will be administered once 75% of the school year is complete. It will consist of a literary task, a research simulation task, and a narrative writing task. In the PBA, students will be given a set amount of time to read several texts (many of which will be paired together for the upper grades), answer several vocabulary and reading comprehension questions, and write a short essay.
Test Timing for EOY
> The EOY for Grade 3 is a 90-minute session for Unit 1 and 3 and a 75-minute session for Unit 2.
> For grades 4 to 5, there are three sessions of 90 minutes each.
> Grade 6 to 8 have two sessions of 110 minutes and one session of 90 minutes.
It is essential to ensure that even for practice tests, the time allotted is maintained. Answering correctly and answering within the stipulated time is also very important to score well in any exam.
Test preparation Tips:
Yearlong learning and good practice are the keys to success in standardized tests. A wide range of books, apps, videos, and online workbooks are available, which help the student prepare for the tests, recognize areas for improvement and work on them. As parents and teachers, it would be good to use these resources and support their learning and preparation.
The online resources available will help you
Preparation is the key to success. Today’s tech-savvy world has no shortage of resources that support this.
Computer-based PARCC Practice Program for Schools
Online PARCC Practice for Students
The above article is an excerpt from PARCC Guidebook: Success Strategies for Teachers: Professional Development.
To learn more about the book, click here.
