Common Core's Big Test: Tracking 2014-15 Results
Type of Assessment:
▮ PARCC
▮ Smarter Balanced
▮ Other
2014-15 Scores Reported
Click to see test results
▮ PARCC
▮ Smarter Balanced
▮ Other
2014-15 Scores ReportedClick to see test results
The 2014-15 school year marked a big change for many states because they switched to tests that for the first time reflect the Common Core State State Standards. Below are the scores from state-mandated mathematics and English/language arts tests given in 2014-15 and in 2013-14 (or the most recent previous year available).
Please use caution when interpreting these results.
First, state-to-state comparisons can only be made among states that use the same test. In 2014-15, for instance, 18 states used Smarter Balanced and 11, plus the District of Columbia, used Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. (PARCC and Smarter Balanced are two federally funded testing consortia that developed exams aligned to the common core.)
Second, when a state gives the same test year to year, those results can show growth or declines in achievement. But when a state switches to a new test, first-year results can’t be used to compare achievement to that of previous years.
Comparing the results of old and new assessments can show other things, however. A drop in proficiency rates on the new tests could mean that students are still getting used to the new test format, or that schools are still adjusting to teaching new material, or it could mean that states set higher cut points on the new tests than on their old ones.
We offer these results because of the high-profile warnings that proficiency rates would drop on the new tests. What that means in each state that experienced a drop is a story unique to that state.
Notes:
• We report ACT or SAT scores only if they are a state’s only mandated high school test.
• Several states administer separate tests for writing and reading. We chose to report the results of states’ reading tests only, because those are required under the No Child Left Behind Act.
• Despite the No Child Left Behind Act, policies governing when and how students are tested vary by state. This project reflects our best understanding of those policies as they relate to the scores we are reporting based on data states reported and data gathered by Education Week.
• We report ACT or SAT scores only if they are a state’s only mandated high school test.
• Several states administer separate tests for writing and reading. We chose to report the results of states’ reading tests only, because those are required under the No Child Left Behind Act.
• Despite the No Child Left Behind Act, policies governing when and how students are tested vary by state. This project reflects our best understanding of those policies as they relate to the scores we are reporting based on data states reported and data gathered by Education Week.
