Arlington, Va.
A group of states designing common assessments to measure how well students have mastered the Common Core State Standards today gave its first round of approval to a series of test supports to help English-language learners and students with disabilities demonstrate what they've learned.
The Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC—made up of 22 states—agreed on what will be a "first edition" of the accommodations and accessibility policies that will be field-tested with student test-takers in the 2013-14 school year. Every state but Colorado voted to support the first edition, and that state's objections centered almost entirely on the recommendation that a "read aloud" accommodation be allowed for certain students with disabilities. For a whole lot more detail on that lively discussion, look at Christina Samuel's post at On Special Education.
