Using Assessments to Inform Instruction

Laura Slover, CEO of PARCC, Inc., the nonprofit managing the assessment project for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) states, began her career as a high school English teacher.  In a recent update, she wrote about how she used assessments to find her students’ strengths and weaknesses and reflect upon “where I needed to make adjustments to improve my instruction.”  She outlines how the PARCC states are developing tools and supports for educators that will help them do this work during the 2014-15 school year.

Information about these formative, or diagnostic, assessments indicates that these are being designed to help educators:

• more efficiently provide students with appropriate instructional support, and
• better identify students who require intense interventions or enrichment activities in order to meet (or exceed) grade level performance targets.

Overview documents provide more details about the PARCC non-summative assessments being developed.

Diagnostic/K1 (PDF)

Speaking and Listening (PDF)

Mid-Year assessment (PDF)

We urge educators and concerned citizens to review these documents and websites to inform themselves about the facts and details related to new assessments.    This is a work in progress and there is a lot of room for input and suggestions, as has been the case throughout this voluntary, state-led effort.

******************************

NOTE:  Standards and assessments do not dictate curriculum – the materials and methods teachers use to help their students learn and be able to meet the standards.  However, many resources are being shared to provide educators options and reduce duplicate efforts.

Educators can access a new tool released last week, Achieve the Core. This website launched by Student Achievement Partners, shares free, open-source resources to support Common Core implementation at the classroom, district, and state level.

Achieve the Core, houses materials such as lessons, writing samples and professional development tools by role, subject and grade level. Available resources also include the most recent edition of the K-2 and 3-12 standards in English language arts (ELA) and literacy for history/social studies, science, and technical subjects) as well as for K-8 mathematics.