Reply Posts
Testing Schedule
Posted 3/12/2015 at 10:57:00 PM by KAREN CRITES [staff member]
The MPLSD assessment schedule is aligned to the state testing schedule. The dates for each individual test at MP were set in October. The schedule has been available on the district website and in building communications.
Throughout the winter, the test schedule was adjusted due to calamity days and those adjustments were also posted on the website.
PARCC assessments have been publicized through local and national media. Madison-Plains complies with state testing as do all public school districts. At no time did MPLSD attempt to hide the fact that we were administering state-required assessments.
Reading Passages
Posted 3/12/2015 at 10:45:05 PM by KAREN CRITES [staff member]
PARCC is similar to all other state and national assessments. The test items, passages, and prompts cannot be viewed prior to test administration. This is to ensure validity of the results. You will find this to be the same for ACT, SAT, OGT, OAA, and even class and district assessments such as semester exams and unit tests. It is not about being secretive, it is about ensuring that the test results are accurate. You can view sample test items at http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/
Notice
Posted 3/11/2015 at 10:48:47 PM by [anonymous visitor]
Information about PARCC was not posted in a timely manner to the Madison Plains website.Both a colleague of mine in education and myself searched for this information in board minutes and on the website in late January/early February and not one mention of it. Again, this speaks to Madison Plains not being open about what is going on in the schools.Why was the information delayed?
Secretive
Posted 3/11/2015 at 10:39:49 PM by [anonymous visitor]
I am uncomfortable with my child taking a test that I will not be granted access to review the reading passages. The test seems very secretive. Why aren't parents granted permission to see the reading passages and be in charge of what our children are being exposed to? What one parent deems acceptable does not necessarily carry over to another's belief system.
Test Items
Posted 3/8/2015 at 11:08:13 PM by KAREN CRITES [staff member]
You are correct that test administrators are not permitted to read test items or passages. However, there is an exception to this rule. In some instances, test administrators are permitted to read to a student who has the Read Aloud accommodation listed in his or her IEP or 504 Plan. None of these test administrators or any student has reported seeing questions about students' personal or family lives. Many students reported that no such questions were present on the PARCC assessments.
Do teachers know what is on the tests?
Posted 3/4/2015 at 10:56:19 PM by [anonymous visitor]
As far as I know (read on social media & heard from my children after taking test #1) the teachers do not see the tests at all. How are you sure that these questions won't be asked of our children? Have you seen each test in its entirety?
Guns or other personal information
Posted 3/3/2015 at 5:48:17 PM by KAREN CRITES [staff member]
This is false. At no time are students asked to supply personal information about themselves, their families, or their homes.
This is a popular rumor that has been spread through social media. Please be assured, there is no data being collected about our students’ family lives.
In doing some research, we believe we found the source of this misunderstanding. A school district in another state gave an unrelated social issues survey to students after they completed the PARCC assessments. It appears there were many people who assumed this was part of the PARCC assessment. It is not.
Thank you for asking this question. This is one of the most common misconceptions causing parents to request their children not take the PARCC assessments at Madison-Plains.
Guns
Posted 3/3/2015 at 8:19:57 AM by [anonymous visitor]
I heard this test asks the kids if they have guns in their home and if so where do they keep them. Is that true?