Common Core first phase testing all next week

Materials have arrived at local schools in preparation for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers tests that will be administered to third through eighth graders beginning Monday.
St. Mary Parish Schools Superintendent Dr. Donald Aguillard told school board members Thursday that phase one of the Common Core testing will take place all five days next week. Phase two occurs in May.
“One key difference students will notice next week is that only one part of the assessment session is given each day,” Aguillard said. “In the past some standardized tests took several hours. The PARCC test is designed so that students will test for about 60 minutes to 90 minutes then move on the rest of their regular school day.”
Younger students will take tests in a single booklet, he said. Other changes include the opportunity for students to request audio and visual aids such as ear plugs or magnification tools. They may also have math questions read aloud.
“With the English exams, students will have to read passages and respond through writing rather than isolated questions about theme or subject,” Aguillard said. “In mathematics, questions ask students to explain their reason or model how the math works rather than just select an answer.
“The idea is to move away from isolated skill practice and toward solving complicated problems that align more closely to real world scenarios,” he said.
“The new exams will give us all considerable information regarding how well our special programs prepare students for the new Common Core curriculum,” he said.
In other discussions the board recognized:
—Students of the Month Chelsey Price, a senior at Patterson High School; Colby Alexander, an eighth grader at Franklin Junior High; and Kaitlynn Waguespack, a fifth grader at Wyandotte Elementary.
—Employees of the Month Cathy Vernon, a math teacher at Patterson High; Kiante Gunner, assistant principal at Franklin Junior High; and Jennifer Paray Landry, an NCP teacher at Wyandotte Elementary School.
—Students of the Year Alyssa Perkins, a fifth grader at Patterson Junior High; Natalie Bourgeois, an eighth grader at Berwick Junior High; and Diana Tran, a senior at Morgan City High School.