2 Million Mark

More than two million PARCC test sessions have now been completed online in the 11 states and the District of Columbia, which make up the PARCC consortium. The milestone was reached shortly before noon today EST. In addition to the online tests, about a quarter of all students in the group of states will take the test on paper with pencil.

Since February 16, schools in Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey and New Mexico have started testing. Louisiana, Massachusetts and Rhode Island will start testing soon.

For the third day in a row, more than a million students in a single day are testing on the online platform.

Teachers, test coordinators, principals and others involved at the district and school level prepared in recent months for the assessment by testing devices and getting students ready for the new testing experience.

Five million students in 11 states and the District of Columbia will take the PARCC test this year. The PARCC assessment is a single test in two parts – the performance-based component, administered in early spring, and the end-of-year component, administered near the end of the school year. Students are currently participating in performance-based components in English language arts and mathematics.

Both components of the test are essential to getting a complete picture of student understanding and achievement. Together, they measure the full range of the learning standards, including knowledge, concepts and skills.

Educators from the states have led the development of the assessments.

Featured

  • Michigan District Breaks Ground on Sheridan Road School

    The Lansing School District in Lansing, Mich., recently broke ground on the new Sheridan Road School, according to a district news release. The school will measure 61,525 square feet and serve students in grades 5–8.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • DLR Group Announces New Mid-Atlantic Higher Education Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has promoted Principal Shawn Gaither, AIA, LEED AP, to the role of higher education leader in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a news release. Gaither has served with the firm for more than 20 years, most recently as the national higher education business development leader.