Reply to PARCC Scores for Grades 3-8

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[quote=Anonymous]This presentation is pretty good:

http://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/publication/attachments/OSSE%20PARCC%203-8%20ReleasePresentation_finalv14.pdf

What I find most interesting are the bar charts of aggregated test results by grade, which show a clear progression -- 3rd graders performed better than fourth-graders, fourth graders performed better than fifth-graders, etc. These results imply that DC's early childhood interventions *are working*, as well as improvements in elementary school education. It is expected that those younger students who have had more exposure to these changes would perform better.

My child attends a Title I preschool, where she is one of two white children in her class. And at this stage, honestly, all the kids are about the same. At three years-old, they are all writing their names, telling stories, counting objects, etc. I would not be surprised at all if that by the time this class takes the 3rd grade PARCC, their scores would be on par not just with the rest of the country, but that the gap between races would merge as well.

As for the PARCC itself -- The presentation also has a nice comparison between a DC CAS math question and a PARCC question. It is just so obvious why the PARCC exam is superior and why teaching to this kind of test would be very different than teaching to the kinds of tests we grew up with. I have taken some of the practice exams to see what all the fuss is about and have been very pleasantly surprised by the level of critical thinking and skills that would be required to do well. We know that previous standardized exam systems have been failing our students -- and maybe even our own generation. I agree with the administration that this is a good baseline upon which to measure students' progress, rather than the CAS. Using the PARCC also frees up resources that had been devoted to the DC exam's design to more useful purposes. Maybe states can afford their own bureaucracies for designing  their own unique standards and exams, but DC cannot.

So. (1) Results show that DC actions to improve early childhood and elementary education are working, and that the more exposure students have to these changes, the better they perform; and (2) The PARCC is not just a more meaningful exam than the DC CAS, its adoption frees up District resources for other uses.

Parents, please stop trying to tear this down. My family is willing to give this system a shot, and we hope you do, too.

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