Common Core's next problem

As California districts finish administering new Smarter Balanced online Common Core assessments, educators face the next hurdle: sharing data with millions of parents about how their children fared, writes Sarah Tully for EdSource. It's anticipated that fewer students will meet proficiency standards compared to the earlier California Standards Tests in 2013 and before. New scores break down into four categories: "standard exceeded," "standard met," "standard nearly met," and "standard not met." If large numbers of students score lower than "standard met," opposition to the Common Core may mount in a state where it has been relatively muted. The timing of the release of scores is also important, since a major selling point of Common Core assessments was that they were taken online and therefore would be available more quickly and could better inform instruction. This year, parents and students will get results the same time as previously, mid-summer. To manage expectations, some districts are holding sessions with principals on explaining reports, with parent meetings planned when school resumes. The California Parent Teacher Association helped state officials prepare the report's format so parents could better understand it, and is urging school chapters to discuss Smarter Balanced results during back-to-school meetings. Next year's report will include comparisons to the prior year's scores so parents can track student progress. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

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