PARCC Field Test

Published February 28, 2014

In preparation for the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments in 2014-15, the state of Tennessee will be participating in a field test this spring along with all other PARCC states.

The primary purpose of the field test is to evaluate test items among different sample groups of students, which can then be used for scoring and scaling studies as well as for constructing operational test forms. Field testing is common for new assessments, and WCS has participated in other TCAP “pilots” before (most recently, the Chemistry End-of-Course Exam).

Although this field test will produce no reported results for students and schools, participating allows WCS the opportunity to preview firsthand how these assessments are structured. Our district gains the advantage of experiencing both the new online and paper-based testing environments, plus our feedback will be represented regarding assessment times and technology readiness.

For this particular field test, not all students will participate. Schools and students are randomly selected in a way that best represents our district’s population, and those selected students will participate in only one portion of one test. No students will take the entire PARCC assessment.

For more information regarding the PARCC field test, please visit http://www.parcconline.org/field-test. Further questions can be directed to WCS Assessment Analyst Kevin Deck at kevind@wcs.edu.