Transition to New College and Career Ready Assessments Has Begun

The 1993 Education Reform Act (that has been credited with raising student achievement in Massachusetts to the top of the nation) had as two of its core principles high standards and an accountability system for measuring whether these standards were being met. So, it is not surprising that three years after Massachusetts adopted newCurriculum Frameworks aligned with the Common Core State Standards we are now faced with adjusting our accountability system to ensure that assessments are aligned with these college and career ready expectations.

In fact, over two and a half years ago, MBAE Chairman Henry Dinger wrote that “the drafters of the education reform act recognized very clearly that high quality standards required equally high quality tools to measure whether and to what extent students met or fell short of those standards. Without such assessment tools, the education system flies blind. And if those assessments had not carried significant consequences for both students and educators, one wonders whether those high standards would have been taken seriously.”

So, it was a natural step in this process for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education at its November meeting to approve a two-year transition plan that provides for a thoughtful and evidence-based transition to new assessments. It starts with field tests of the Partnership for Assessing Readiness for College and Career (PARCC)exams this spring. The plan proposed by Commissioner Mitchell Chester acknowledges concerns voiced by Superintendents, School Committee members and others in the field by delaying a final vote on which assessments Massachsuetts should use until the data from these field tests have been analyzed.

Immediately, some opponents of the Common Core State Assessments pounced on this vote by saying it “halted” the implementation of these standards. It was disappointing that several reputable media outlets reported this misinformation without checking the facts. Fortunately, EdSurge, “the leading site for educators, entrepreneurs and investors involved in education technology”, acknowledged the error after an MBAE Board member brought it to their attention. EdSurge reviewed the BESE materials themselves and issued a retraction.

There is certainly a lot of work ahead to ensure full implementation of the new Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks in all schools and districts, and to develop assessments that align with the standards. As the process continues, MBAE is committed to providing verifiable, factual information through this blog and other communications to provide the business community an accurate understanding of this important work.