Dedham Votes to Employ PARCC Testing Next Spring

The Dedham School Committee has voted to employ the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) standardized testing for this upcoming spring.

Dedham’s schools will be moving away from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) testing in elementary and middle schools next spring. High school students will still be given the MCAS testing through the class of 2019. Dedham superintendent Michael Welch told Patch.com that the PARCC testing better prepares students for a college education.

“The MCAS is a high school exit exam,” Welch said. “One [PARCC] is looking at college readiness while the other is based on the Massachusetts framework for a high school diploma.”

Welch added that the PARCC testing was in line with the Common Core standards that helps measure progress across the country. PARCC aims to create a modern assessment that replaces previous state standardized tests, according to the organization’s website. Welch added that the PARCC testing is rooted in technology and he hopes that it will help provide better information to the school system.

“What we want to do is make sure we’re getting accurate and valid assessments,” Welch added.”We just want something that’s going to show us good data. We also want to make sure we’re getting quick and accurate feedback.”

Welch added that while new testing may not make a significant difference, the committee is eyeing student growth as their most important goal.

“I don’t think it’s going to make a huge difference,” Welch said.”But I want to make sure we’re looking at individual student growth. That growth metric is critical to look at. We obviously want our students to see more growth, but we at least want to ensure that we are consistent with other students.”

Be sure to follow Dedham Patch on Facebook!