PARCC was to be the state’s answer to meet federal requirements calling for more rigorous and challenging assessment tests, starting with math and language arts in the 2014-2015 school year.
“Students are going to have to explain work and think critically … not just bubble in an answer,” Barge said of the upcoming assessment test changes.
Barge expressed two main concerns he had about the state going forward with PARCC — the cost and the required testing method.
The decision to withdraw from PARCC was “almost all driven by cost,” he said. The entire budget for annual assessment testing in Georgia is $25 million, Barge said. The cost to administer the PARCC math assessment test alone would be $27 million, he said.
Moreover, PARCC also required online testing, which is not an option for every school system in Georgia.
Board of education central offices in Georgia currently use 3 megabits of Internet service, Barge said. By July 2014, central offices will have 100 megabits and will be responsible for getting the faster Internet service to schools to do online assessments, he said.
He discussed a competitive grant school systems can apply for to offset the cost of getting Internet service from central offices to schools. By the 2014-2015 school year, Barge said, “I think we’ll be ready to do online assessments.”
The Georgia DOE is working to create new assessment tests for the 2014-2015 school year. By not participating in the national testing consortium it gives the state flexibility to make decisions that are best for students, Barge said.
via Jackson Progress-Argus | State school superintendent visits Butts County School System.
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