It's Discount Week! 🎁 Pick up new Marketplace gear at a discount when you donate today! Get My Gear!

Common Core tests get a trial run

Amy Scott Mar 14, 2014
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Common Core tests get a trial run

Amy Scott Mar 14, 2014
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Over the next several weeks millions of school children will be testing out new tests.

Most states have adopted new education standards known as the Common Core. Now they’re trying to figure out how to measure what kids learn.

Beginning March 24, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers—known as PARCC—plans to field test nearly 10,000 questions to look for glitches or bias.

Another group, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, originally scheduled to launch its own field testing next Tuesday, will now begin March 25*. Students won’t be scored, but that hasn’t stopped a great deal of text anxiety on the part of teachers, parents and students.

Want to know what the tests look like? Take a practice test.

Common core standards followed around the country


UPDATE: This story has been updated to reflect a change in the test date. 

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.