Assessment Grants

In an effort to provide ongoing feedback to teachers throughout the course of the school year, measure annual student growth, and move beyond narrowly focused “bubble tests,” the Department has awarded two groups of states substantial grants to develop a new generation of tests.  The new tests will be aligned to the higher standards that were devised by the nation’s governors and Chief State School Officers.  “As I travel around the country, the number one complaint I hear from teachers is that bubble tests pressure teachers to teach to a test that doesn’t measure what really matters,” Secretary Duncan stated.  “Both of these winning applicants are planning to develop new assessments that will move us far beyond this and measure real student knowledge and skills.”  The tests, to be ready for use by the 2014-15 school year, will assess students’ knowledge of language arts and math from third-grade through high school.

Illinois is part of The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) coalition that consists of 26 states.  PARCC will test students’ ability to read complex text, complete research projects, excel at classroom speaking and listening assignments, and work with digital media.  PARCC will also replace the one end-of-year high stakes test with a series of assessments during the year that will be averaged into one score for accountability purposes, reducing the weight given to a single test administered on a single day and providing valuable information to students and teachers throughout the year.

The grant requests, totaling approximately $330 million, are part of the Race to the Top competition.

Constitution Day/Citizenship Day Resources

Septebmer 17 is Constitution Day/Citizenship Day, commemorating the September 17, 1787, signing of the U.S. Constitution. In recognition, Congress has mandated that every educational institution receiving federal funds take a day to teach the seminal document. To assist students and educators in their studies, free online resources are available:

• Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)
• National History Education Clearinghouse
• National Archives

For more information visit www.2.ed.gov