Taking Notes in Melrose: PARCC Pushback

Welcome!

Margaret Raymond Driscoll is in her 12th year as a Melrose School Committee member, and she is passionate about excellent teaching and learning for all public school students. She considers it a privilege to collaborate with others who share that passion. You can also follow her on Twitter at @MargaretDrisc. Just to be clear - opinions expressed here do not represent those of the Melrose Public Schools, the Melrose School Committee, or the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials - they are hers alone.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

PARCC Pushback

One of the major challenges of piloting and potential implementation of PARCC (a computer-based assessment tool that aligns with Common Core standards) is the cost and logistics of implementing the requisite technology. It looks like the PARCC pilots (including those in Melrose) are still on for spring and that the two-year evaluation plan remains as is; but it's clear that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) as well as its boss, the Board of Education, is getting significant push-back from not only superintendents, but legislators as well. Masslive.com has reported that State Senator Brewer from Barre has heard from many superintendents who are struggling with this issue, and suggests that funding could be addressed by setting up a bond fund similar to the one used to build new school facilities (the Mass. School Building Authority, aka the MSBA). Check out the article here: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/01/secretary_malone.html.