1. New Assessment with Common Core
I recently activated a Webinar conducted by Melissa Fincher from the DOE; she
provided an update on where the state Curriculum, Assessment, and Technology
divisions are in moving toward PARCC, the new assessment piece.
First of all, PARCC stands for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and
Careers. Like the Common Core, this will be a Common Assessment shared by all the
states participating in the shift to Common Core standards (CCGPS). The test itself will
look very different; it will be comprised of performance-based tasks. The test will be
used to:
~ determine if students are on track for college and career readiness.
~assess the full range of Common Core standards.
~measure the full range of student performance.
~provide data throughout the year to inform teachers about student progress
and to drive
Instruction.
The plan is that this will be a computer-administered test and will provide students,
teachers, and parents with rapid feedback. The state is working on the logistics of
making this happen.
PARCC will be administered four times per year.
• The first administration will be formative; it will serve as a pretest to
determine students levels of proficiency. This administration will NOT
count as part of the student’s summary of performance and will be
optional.
• The second assessment is also listed as formative and will have an
emphasis on hard to assess skills. This administration will NOT count as
part of the student’s summary of performance.
• The third assessment is a summative assessment; it will occur when
approximately 75% of the instructional year has passed. This assessment
will count as part of the student’s summary score.
• The fourth and final assessment is also a summative assessment and will
occur when approximately 90% of the instructional year has passed. The
emphasis will be on application of skills through extended tasks.

2. • In reading/language arts, there is an optional fifth assessment on the
speaking and listening standards.
HOW DOES THIS IMPACT ME TODAY?
Georgia is transitioning from CRCT to PARCC. This shift will occur gradually over the
next three years. During CRCT testing in 2012, there will be Field Test questions
embedded into the regular CRCT. These questions will look different. For example, as
part of CCGPS students are asked to conduct a comparison of texts. Students may be
asked to read two passages by two different authors and compare how the authors
have handled the topic. For the next two years ( 2013 and 2014) CCGPS questions will
be infused into the CRCT. More questions will be performance based and fewer
questions will be multiple choice. Teachers will be made aware of which Common
Core standards will be tested those two years. Finally, in 2015 we will be fully
transitioned to PARCC.
One of the conversations we will be having as we move to CCGPS is about TEXT
COMPLEXITY. We have already noticed that our Lexile scores were not where we
needed them to be when we looked at our 2011 CRCT levels. Research into Lexile
reading levels has told us that the average high school graduate is 300 – 400 Lexile
points below where they need to be in order to make a successful transition from their
high school to their College or Career. Increasing our students’ ability to work with
more complex text will increase Lexile scores and College/Career readiness. With this
in mind, the reading passages on the CRCT for the next three years will gradually
increase in length and complexity.
As we make the shift to Common Core standards, all state assessments are being
reviewed. We will be made aware of changes as they are implemented; CRCT Content
Descriptors will be updated to reflect changes.
• GAA will be transitioning to be in line with CCGPS. It will no longer be a
portfolio.
• GKIDS is under review.
• State Writing Assessment will not be changed YET. By 2015, writing will
be embedded in PARCC as students are asked to respond to literature,
etc. NOTE: Third grade writing assessment data will be entered
electronically this year; teachers will receive training on how to do this.
Here are some excellent resources for you to bookmark as you prepare yourself and
your students for the changes that are coming:
For more information about Lexiles: http://www.lexile.com
Visit https://www.georgiastandards.org/Common-Core/Pages/default.aspx
Another great resources for all things Common Core is Learning Village; you can login
here: https://portal.doe.k12.ga.us/Login.aspx

3. Finally, all the up-to-date information about PARCC can be found at http://
www.parcconline.org This site will have sample assessment items beginning in the
new year.
As always, if you have questions, be sure to stop by my office. If I don’t know the
answer, I will find someone who does.