The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has been a topic of fierce debate. The standards aim to provide a consistent, clear understanding of student’s learning expectations and are ultimately designed to prepare K-12 students for college and career success. This revolution is well underway – forty-five states and the District of Columbia have already adopted the CCSS for math and English language arts. The issues now are: how should it be administered and are all schools well-prepared; both to teach the common core curriculum and to assess student learning. Finally, will it really help all students succeed?
With a large focus on CCSS assessments, we at Enterasys conducted a survey to answer those burning questions that are keeping teachers and administrators up at night. The early survey results are in; here are some key highlights:
- 80 percent of schools surveyed are already preparing for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and 10 percent will initiate planning within a year.
- 55 percent said their school was definitely or likely to work with the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).
- 30 percent of schools surveyed have plans to work with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC).
- 42 percent of schools said they plan to independently develop their own CCSS assessments.
- 70 percent believe that it is likely or possible that a private testing firm such as ACT or the College Board will take over the assessment functions of PARCC and Smarter Balanced over the next 3-5 years.
- 73 percent of schools said they are not very confident that their current network infrastructure can support the capacity needs of CCSS assessment, with 66 percent not confident in a network infrastructure that can support the security needs of CCSS assessment.
Do you agree with the results? What other benefits or downfalls do you see in the future of CCSS? Make sure your school is ready for PARCC and SBAC by visiting here and here. Comment or tweet us at @Enterasys
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