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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The Reading part of PARCC is BS. It isn't testing content because content varies from district to district. It tests reading comprehension. Reading comprehension is mostly based on background knowledge of the topic. So if the passage is about something the student is familiar with, he/she will test higher. If the passage is unfamiliar, the score will be lower. So children with parents who have higher educational levels tend to do better on these tests because of their background knowledge that they may have learned outside of school. If the content was standardized and the test actually tested that content, it would make more sense. Look at some of the public release samples to get an idea how the test jumps from one random passage to another. There might be one non-fiction passage on sea turtles and one narrative about summer camp. If you haven't studied sea turtles, chances are poor kids will do worse on this section. They might not even know what the world "sea" means. Kids from higher SES backgrounds might have read about sea turtles from books in the library, might have gone to aquariums, might have gone on a trip to the ocean. My son knows about them from camp. The students I teach in my Title One school don't go to camp. The don't go to the library. They don't do anything over the summer. So the test is a random bunch of passages testing reading comprehension and not content. So teachers at my school get blasted for low test scores when the reason most students know about these passages is from outside of school.[/quote]
I thought PARCC was supposed to measure the kinds of things the PISA test measures (conceptual understanding and critical thinking).  
I suppose I would also imagine that the children you describe who don't read or "do anything" over the summer are unlikely to be very successful in any test.  
I wonder if it would be possible to send donated books home with children over the summer or offer free summer art classes etc.
It does make you think that there is only so much any school system or school admin or individual teacher can accomplish without parental involvement[/quote]

We bend over backwards to provide enrichment at my school. Free summer camps that have a field trip each week (nature centers, museums, etc). Once a month food pantry. Weekly fresh fruit for the students and a weekly low cost vegetable program for parents (and teachers if there is anything left over). We have a group that comes in once a month to read books to our pre-k and KG students. They read a few books and then let each child pick a book for free to keep at home. So over 2 years, students are getting nearly 20 free books. They also donate books once or twice a year to the entire school. Our school library is open once a week in the summer so kids can borrow books. The pre-k and KG students take a field trip to the neighborhood library and get library cards there. We also give out free books at Family Reading Night each fall. There are at least 2 Saturday programs where students will be picked up at our school and bused to a museum, etc for an enrichment program (drama or art). We have after school clubs that are either free or no more than $10. My son's private school doesn't even offer these things. But you can lead a horse to water.... It's always the same people involved in these enrichment activities and they are the students who do well in school. Why? What's the difference? Their family or some adult in their lives who make sure they do their homework and participate in some incredible activities that are mostly free. Sadly, the accident of birth usually supersedes what any school can do.[/quote]
Wow your school sounds amazing.  [/quote]

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