With the completion in the spring of 2014 of ISAT testing, the state of Illinois officially moved towards the new PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) testing implementation cycle. There are two parts to the PARCC test. As most of you are aware, we recently completed the first part of this cycle. The next phase will begin during the last week of April. Because of the proximity of both testing windows to the last three months of the school year, there will not be a scheduled Spring MAP test this year.
The level of difficulty of the PARCC test has been represented to school districts as being more reflective of the rigor associated with the overall body of Common Core Standards. The PARCC test was designed to be administered electronically, a departure from how its predecessor (the ISAT test) had been administered. However, D97 and other area districts made the determination to move forward this year with the paper/pencil option due to concerns about the readiness of the PARCC technology.
More information about the PARCC test results will be forthcoming from both the state and the district. As soon as we are made aware of when the results will be available, we will communicate this information to all of our families.