CTB/McGraw-Hill today announced the launch of TerraNova™Common Core, a newly developed national achievement test that represents a field-tested, valid measure of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). It is available in the subjects of reading, English language arts, and mathematics for Grades 3-8.
The CCSS, which were developed under the guidance of the National Governor’s Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, have been adopted by 45 states to date, including the District of Columbia. TerraNova Common Core is now available across the country.
TerraNova Common Core offers new content to meet the rigorous Common Core State Standards, standards that require students to engage in real-world, authentic tasks and experiences and to demonstrate a higher level of cognitive rigor to be proficient. TerraNova Common Core meets the guidelines of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) – the two consortia responsible for developing a set of common assessments to measure student mastery of the CCSS as schools transition to CCSS by the 2014-2015 school year.
TerraNova Common Core offers a full range of item formats in one test, including multiple choice, constructed response, extended-constructed response, and integrated performance tasks. The benefit of this “one test” approach is that educators can compare student results on national and Common Core standards across grades and ability levels.
The performance task items are particularly important because they address the need for students to analyze, justify, and produce in response to complex texts and mathematical problems. TerraNova Common Core offers a combination of the 3 parameter IRT and 2 parameter partial credit models. Offering the ability to receive partial credit on test items provides a critical window into students’ progress toward mastery of a subject area or specific skill and how well students have mastered the Common Core State Standards. Results are available both in print and online in seven days or less, making the data actionable for effective classroom instruction.
Additionally, TerraNova Common Core offers research and professional development services to meet the specific needs and interests of schools through the transition. CTB offers data analysis support, on-site coaching, and professional development workshops. These research and professional development services include information about test administration, managing test materials, understanding reports, analyzing data, and connecting test results to inform decisions about school improvement and curriculum/instruction as districts prepare for the transition to the CCSS.
