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Dear Parents/Guardians,Starting this spring, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment will replace NJ ASK in Grades 3 to 6. The exception will be in grade 4 where students will take the NJ ASK for Science the morning of May 27. Students will use computers, including desktops and laptops, to take the PARCC assessments online. PARCC is designed to assess what we have been teaching in our Kenilworth curriculum which is based on the Common Core State Standards (). The PARCC will be given in March and in May. The March PARCC administration is the Performance Based Assessment piece, or PBA, while the May PARCC administration is the End of Year Assessment or EOY. The difference between the two PARCC assessments is explained in the next paragraph. This March, our students will take the Performance Based Assessments (PBA). There are three sessions for language arts and two sessions for math. The sessions range from 60 to 90 minutes. This is similar to the amount of time and days that were needed for NJ ASK. For the language arts portion of the test, this will involve analyzing literature and a narrative writing task. Students will read texts and write several pieces to demonstrate they can read and understand sufficiently complex texts independently; write effectively when using and analyzing sources; and build and communicate knowledge by integrating, comparing and synthesizing ideas. For the math portion of the PBA, students will be asked to solve problems involving the key knowledge and skills for their grade level, express mathematical reasoning and construct a mathematical argument, and apply concepts to solve model real world problems. In May, there are PARCC End of Year (EOY) assessments, which will include two sessions for language arts and two sessions for math. For the end of year assessment, students will demonstrate their acquired skills and knowledge by answering questions that are more multiple choice in nature. Please note that our 6th grade students will be taking the test at David Brearley and will be visiting the high school to get familiar with the testing environment. The results of the PBA and EOY are combined into a single score report which we have been told will be available in October 2015 for the first round of PARCC. One aspect that will make this test unique for our students is that it will be taken online. Children who are better typists have an edge when taking this assessment. Our teachers have been working to make sure that our students are ready for the test. Our school media specialist has also been working with them in the technology lab. It would also be beneficial for students to practice typing at home. Students can access a typing tool through the Harding Library web page or simply go to to practice. Each student has his/her own login (example: huser1234563):?Example:username: huserlunchnumberExample: password: huserlunchnumber?If a child practices for ten minutes a night between now and test time, it will make a difference. If you have any difficulty accessing this program at home, please call or email our media specialist, Mrs. Clarice Johnson, and she will be happy to help you. We encourage you to visit the PARCC website at . Here, you will find sample test questions which you can preview with your child. The more familiar your child is with the format of the test, the more confident he/she will be taking the test. As always, the home school connection is the key to success. I appreciate all that you do to support your child’s educational endeavors. Should you have any other questions or concerns about this new testing process, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely,Mrs. Kathleen Murphy? ................
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