The U.S. Department of Education recently released the Race to the Top Technical Review to chart the progress made by the state consortia that received Race to the Top Assessment (RTTA) grants. The review found PARCC's assessment development is "generally on track," the highest rating possible.
The reviewers also provided PARCC with recommendations and feedback for strengthening its research strategy and its work to ensure the assessments are accessible for all students.
PARCC has moved forward with the execution of its research strategy and is addressing these recommendations from the Technical Review. Specifically:
- As planned, PARCC is conducting research studies this summer to further examine the quality of PARCC mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy items, optimal ways of scoring these items and usability of items as they are presented on different computer devices.
- PARCC will conduct additional research through the Spring 2014 Field Test to further examine the quality of the assessment items and the scoring materials, including a study on the usability and accessibility of the assessments for all of students.
- As PARCC continues with item development, the consortium is providing additional training for item writers and reviewers on accessibility guidelines and bias and sensitivity guidelines. Additional emphasis will also be placed on making sure the item writers understand the expectation that all items and passages are equitable and fair for all students.
To learn more, visit www.parcconline.org.
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