Grayslake District 46: 43 Percent of Students Meet, Exceed Standards on PARCC Assessment

The following is a press release issued by Community Consolidated School District 46

Schools across Illinois have received score reports from the first administration of the new statewide assessment.

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment is a dramatically different test than the state’s previous exam it replaces. Superintendent Ellen Correll states that the assessment results look different and may appear lower than what we typically see from our students and schools. Both Superintendent Correll and State Superintendent Dr. Tony Smith emphasize that these results simply set a baseline.

The PARCC exam lines up with higher expectations of the internationally benchmarked Learning Standards. It measures a broad range of knowledge and skills, including problem solving, critical thinking, and writing. Students are no longer asked to merely recite memorized facts.

They must analyze information and explain their answers, just as real life requires. The previous state assessments were benchmarked against state standards and this change has created the perception of lower test scores when in fact they are simply different.

“We have just begun an in-depth analysis of our student results. I am disappointed that the scores came so late in the year as our goal would be to use the results to help improve instruction,” stated Superintendent Correll. “We will use this test as a ‘baseline’ and will identify weaknesses and gaps and formulate an action plan to address them.”

Currently forty-three percent of CCSD 46 students meet or exceed the standards on the PARCC assessment, compared to thirty-three percent statewide.

“As with any change, we anticipate some growing pains as students and teachers adjust to the new format of the PARCC assessment and the higher expectations of the Illinois Learning Standards,” stated Ms. Amanda August, Teaching, Learning & Assessment Coordinator at CCSD 46. “We are confindent that the results will improve as our students and staff adjust to the new format and become more familiar with the test.”