A Message from Superintendent Laurie Heinz:
You likely heard in today’s news that the Illinois State Board of Education has released some limited, preliminary information about overall student performance on the statewide Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment.
As you may recall, in 2015 the PARCC Assessment replaced the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) as Illinois’ statewide assessment. Illinois students in grades 3-8 took the PARCC exam for the first time during two sessions in March and May. The rigor of the PARCC assessment exceeds that of the ISAT. It also measures different skills such as students’ critical thinking, problem solving, and writing, which are necessary for students to succeed in high school and beyond.
In releasing the preliminary statewide results, State Superintendent Tony Smith announced that due to the shift to the Common Core State Standards and the increased rigor of the assessment, the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards statewide has decreased. Dr. Smith noted that these initial score results create a new baseline from which the state will move forward. The change is a reflection of how high-stakes assessments have evolved to meet more demanding standards that promote college and career readiness. Again, it’s important to remember that this year’s PARCC exam results cannot be compared to test scores from the state’s previous ISAT assessments.
Assessments come in many forms and help provide immediate feedback as well as a comprehensive end-of-year look at learning annually. They are of critical importance for continuous improvement, which underpins our District 64 2020 Vision Strategic Plan.
District 64 believes strongly that no one assessment creates a comprehensive picture of a learner or group of learners. Therefore, we have built a robust assessment portfolio that includes assessments designed by teachers as well as nationally normed assessments, such as MAP and PARCC. Our assessment portfolio includes a balance of all types, while also being sensitive to the time needed for teaching and learning. These assessments inform day-to-day instruction and help teachers make decisions about differentiation, interventions, and student growth goals.
We will be sharing our results and individual student performance as soon as they become available from the Illinois State Board of Education. As of today, scores are not expected until later this fall.
If you would like to access additional information about the preliminary statewide results, please visit the ISBE website.