Parent Guide:English Language Arts/Literacy Student ScoreReport
The PARCCELA test measures how well students are meeting academic expectations and learningtheknowledgeandskillstheyneedin order tostayontrackinschoolas they prepare forcollegeoracareer.Thetestmeasurescomplexskillssuch ascriticalthinking,persuasivewriting,andproblem-solving.Itisjustoneofmanywaysthatteachersandschoolsmeasurewhetheryourchildisontrackforsuccess.
Teachersusethescorestoimproveteachingandlearningandtocustomizeinstructiontomeeteachstudent’s needs. Parents receive one report for English language arts and one formathematics.
NOTE: Below is a sample score report.
Key Information in the ScoreReport
How did your child do overall? Your child’s score (see below) fits into one of five performance levels. Level 1 isthelowestperformancelevel;Level5isthehighest.See#2foranexplanationofwhateachlevelmeans.
Whatdoeseachperformancelevelmean?Level4isthetarget.Itshowsthatyourchildhasmetexpectationsand iswellpreparedforthenextgradelevel.(Thisiswhatsomestatescall“proficient.”)Levels1,2and3showachild didnotfullymeetexpectations.Level5showsthechilddidbetterthanwhatisexpectedforthegradelevel.
Whatwasmychild’sscore?Thepurplebargraphshowsthescorerangesfor eachperformance level.Inadditiontotheexactscore,theblacktriangleshowshowcloseyourchild’sscoreistothenextperformancelevel.
Ismychildontrack?The wordsunder thepurplebargraphshowthatstudentswho scoreatLevel1,2or 3may needextrahelptobesuccessfulatthenextgradelevel.StudentsperformingatLevel4orLevel5areontrackforthenextgradelevel.Not allstatesincludethislanguageintheparentscorereport.
How do I compare scores? Unlike many previous state test score reports, PARCC score reports show howyourstudentisperformingcomparedtotheaverageforstudentsonthesametestintheschool,district,andstate.Somestatesalsoincludeacomparisontostudentsinallstatesthattookthetest,calledthecross-stateaverage.
Howdidstudentsinmystatedo?Thisshowsthepercentageofstudentsateachperformancelevelinyourstate.This gives you a sense of how students are doing overall in your state, and how your child’sperformancecompares.
Sample
9Howdidmychilddoinreadingandwriting?Yourchildreceivedasub-scoreonasetofquestionsineach area.Studentswhojustmetexpectationsscore50inreadingand35inwriting.Higherscoresshowyourchildexceededexpectations,whilelowerscoresshowhe/shehasnotfullymettheexpectations.Youcanalsoseetheaveragescoreforstudentsintheschool,district,andstate.These sub-scoresdonotadduptotheoverallscore.Somestatesalsoincludeacross-stateaveragecomparisontostudentsinotherstatesthattookthesametest.
8Howdidmychilddoindifferentareasofreadingandwriting?Thissectionshowswhereyourchildisexcellingand wherehe/sheneedsextrasupport.Eacharea,suchasvocabularyandwritingexpression,includesadescriptionof what it looks like to meet theexpectations.
Whatdothearrowsmean?Thearrowsgiveyouaquickrundownonhowyourchildisdoingcomparedtostudents who are meeting expectations. The legend explains that inwords.
How will my child’s school use theresults?
Thetestresultsprovidejustonemeasure –asnapshotintime–ofstudentachievement.Althoughschoolsshouldnevermakeimportantdecisionsaboutstudentsbasedononemeasurealone,thetestsprovidefamilieswithobjectiveinformationaboutwhethertheirchildrenareacademicallyontrack,andtheyhelpeducatorscomparetheperformanceoftheirstudentswithothersacrossthestateandevenotherstates.
Schoolsanddistrictscanusethereportinformationtobetterplaninstruction,support,andenrichmentforstudents.Teacherscanusethisinformationtopersonalizeinstructiontomeetindividualstudentneeds.
Parentscanusethisinformationtounderstandtheirchild’sneedsandstrengthsandworkwithhis/herteachersand school to support their child athome.
How can I use my child’s scorereport?
Itisimportanttohaveregularcheck-inswithteacherstohelpensureyourchildislearningtheskillsnecessaryto remain ontrack.
Ask your child’steachers:
- What do you see as my child’s academic strengths and areas forimprovement?
- How will you use these test results to help my child make progress this schoolyear?
Ask your child’s principal or teacher for information on the school curriculum and the types oflearningexperiencesprovidedtostudents.Youmayalsowishtoaskabouthowlocalandstatetestresultscontributeto schoolimprovements.
Where can I find moreresources?
▪UnderstandTheScore.org–Viewsampletestquestionsandlearnmoreabouthowparentsandteacherscan use the information from the scorereports.
▪Pta.org/parents– Learn more about grade-level expectations and view the PTA’s parent guidesforstudent success.
▪Bealearninghero.org– Tips on how to help your child succeed inschool.
▪Greatschools.org/gk/common-core-test-guide–Findoutwhatskillsyourchildshouldlearnateachgrade level and how you can help athome.
New Jersey Department of Education