PARCC Not Part of Graduation Requirements for Two Years

Two new state tests will not be part of the graduation requirements for Maryland students this year or next year, according to a new plan approved by the The Maryland Department of Education this week.

Under the plan approved by the State Board, passing the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exams in English 10 and Algebra I will not become a graduation requirement until the 2016-17 school year.

“Today’s discussion on the move to assessments aligned to Maryland’s College and Career Ready Standards was focused on our students in the same way we’ve focused on our educators throughout this period,” Dr. Mary Kay Finan, vice president of the Maryland State Board of Education said in a press release.  “Our two-year plan will allow our students and teachers to become more knowledgeable in the more rigorous standards during the transition.”

Although the PARCC exams are being given this year for the first time in mathematics and English, the process with which the passing scores are set will not be completed until December 2015.  This transition caused challenges for some students who had taken HSA-aligned courses, as well as students enrolled in the first years of the PARCC-aligned courses, according to a release from the state education board.

The Montgomery County Board of Education sent a letter to the Maryland State Superintendent of Schools and the President of the Maryland State Board of Education earlier this month asking them to delay the requirement that students pass new state high school exams in order to graduate, according to a release from MCPS.

About Krista Brick

Krista Brick is a multi-media journalist with Montgomery Community Media.

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