The Common Core: promises, promises

In 2010, plans for Common Core-aligned tests were introduced with fanfare and promises they'd end dumbed-down, multiple-choice tests and weeks of mindless prepping, writes Emmanuel Felton for McClatchy. They'd bring coherence to a mishmash of state exams and allow states for the first time to compare local students to peers elsewhere. Their online format would make testing more efficient, accurate, and relevant to the digital age. Now, however, political battles over the Common Core have dampened enthusiasm, as has concern about expected length: Smarter Balanced exams could take 8.5 hours; some PARCC tests will take 10. Of 26 states that joined PARCC, just 11 plus Washington, D.C. will test this spring. Of the 31 that signed up for Smarter Balanced, 18 will test. Some states have already committed to leaving consortia next year. The biggest difference in the tests will be new "performance tasks." For English, these sections ask students to write using evidence from the texts. For math, performance tasks are multi-step problems that require strategic thinking. Though less vulnerable to prepping, performance-task sections rely heavily on open-ended questions, which take more time to answer and are more complicated -- and more expensive -- to grade. With so much in flux, the tests will likely need several iterations to improve. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

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