Dear Parents,

This year, students in grades 3-11 will take a new state assessment called the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC).  PARCC is fully aligned to the Common Core and will provide educators a better assessment of our students' understanding of these standards. The data that comes back from PARCC will allow us to address any gaps in students' understanding of the Common Core by improving our curricula and  instruction.

We have been preparing our students for this new assessment by administering practice tests and lessons on using a computer mouse and on-screen manipulatives. Our administrators and teachers have also taken practice PARCC assessments, so that they could better understand the complexity of the assessments and how to use the on-screen manipulatives. 

You will find many valuable resources contained in this newsletter that you can use to gain a better understanding of PARCC. I encourage you to try the sample items and practice tests with your child.

We are hoping to provide information about PARCC in this, and future, newsletters. We are also hosting a Night in the PARCC for our parents and students.

Please join us on Wednesday, February 4th for our High School PARCC presentation and/or Thursday, February 5th for our Fountain Woods and Middle School PARCC presentation. These presentations will provide an overview of PARCC as well as an opportunity to take a practice PARCC assessment.

Respectfully yours,

 Michael G. Kozak, Ed.D.