What Is the PARCC Test Do You Have to Take It

What Is the PARCC Test Do You Have to Take It SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips PARCC exams are relatively new and not particularly widespread, which means that finding reliable information on what they are and what they mean can be tough. In this guide, I’ll go over everything you need to know about these exams, including where they’re administered, what they test, and how to prepare. What's the PARCC Test? If you're researching PARCC tests, you're probably a bit familiar withstate exams and how they work. Stateexams are tests that are written and managed at the state level - they're administered, often on a yearly basis, at public schools within that state to monitor student progress. They also set expectations for what students should know at each grade level. Performance is considered at a large scale (e.g. state education departments may look into school districts with particularly low scores) and at an individual level (e.g. a school may provide extra resources to an individual student who isn't at grade level). PARCC (or thePartnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) is a group of several states that work together to develop and administer state exams. Each state that participates in PARCC uses these tests to monitor student progress in lieu of individual state tests - the ultimate goal is to standardize Common Core expectations across states. These tests are designed to better replacements for old versions of state tests because (as PARCC claims) they provide better information about students' skills and development to teachers and parents. In a nutshell, these examinations are meant to evaluate college and career readiness starting at a young age. By evaluating readiness early and often (i.e. on a yearly basis), teachers and parents should be better able to help children prepare for the future. For example, teachers may use information about exam performance to identify where students may need extra help. One of PARCC’s advisory committees is dedicated to working with college and universities to accept test results as an â€Å"indicator of readiness† for first-time freshmen, so it looks like they’re also making moves to replace the SAT and ACT. There’s no indication that any colleges accept PARCC results in lieu of SAT/ACT scores, however, so this isn’t somethingyou have to worry about at the moment. Test Logistics There are actually many tests and assessments that are administered through PARCC. Annual Year-end Tests - English/language arts and math tests are administered every year in grades 3-11. I'll be focusing primarily on these exams for the rest of the article. Instructional Tools and Tasks - These may be used throughout the school year, and are meant mostly for teachers. Like other state tests, the PARCC exam is supposed to align with what students are actually learning in the classroom for each grade level. As such, the actual content and the level of difficulty of the exams will vary depending on students’ grade level. I’ll go into more detail shortly. WhatStates Require the PARCC Test? In 2010, 24 states (plus Washington DC) belonged to PARCC, but the number of states participating in the program has dropped significantly since then. As of2015-2016 school year, there are11 states fully active in administering the PARCC tests: Colorado Washington DC Illinois Maryland Massachusetts New Jersey New Mexico Rhode Island What's on the PARCC Test? These examinations are relatively new - they’ve been updated quite often over the past several years, and will surely be updated in the future. That being said, a few important things have remained consistent: The two core content areas tested are English/language arts and math. The tests strive to be modern assessments of competency in higher-level critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The exams don't just test content - theytest the development of skills that (presumably) help students succeed. When you’re trying to gauge whether students are developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills - things that are essential for doing well in college and in the workplace - the way that questions are asked on the exam will be just as important as testcontent. I’ll address both of these important factors here. Tests are a lot less intimdating when you know what's going to be on them. Test Content PARCC test content aligns most closely with what students learn based on Common Core standards. These standards may vary slightly, but remember that the PARCC exams will be standardized across all participating states - as such, you can expect the exams to test content that’s shared by all those states. Content will also depend on grade level, of course. There are a couple of ways you can figure out what you can expect to see on the test: Check out Common Core standards by state. Talk with your teacher (or your child’s teacher) about the content he/she plans on covering for the year, and what he/she expects to see on the year-end PARCC exam. Check out PARCC practice tests. The PARCC website does provide some very basic information about what’s expected of both elementary and middle school students in both English and Math: English expectations for all grade levels (3-11): Students read one or more texts (and sometimes watch a video), write about what they read and/or viewed, and provide evidence drawn from the reading. English expectations for middle school and high school: Students are expected to read several passages and integrate ideas from all of them into their written responses. Math expectations for all grade levels (3-11): Students must reason mathematically, make sense of quantities and their relationships to solve real-world problems, and show their understanding. Math expectations for middle school and high school: Students are expected to develop procedural skills, conceptual understanding, and modeling and application skills with a focus on broadening number sense into ratios, rational numbers, and proportions while transitioning to algebraic skills (including working with expressions, equations, and graphs). Question Format This is where the PARCC tests really claim to stand out when compared to other, older state exams. Testing critical-thinking and problem-solving skills is tougher than testing just straight-up content knowledge - this modern test format reflects these efforts. Here are a couple of examples from the PARCC site to show you what I mean: EXAMPLE 1 The old English test item asks students to simply write a persuasive essay. The new test item asks students to consider the perspectives of multiple authors before responding (using textual evidence) with their own argument. This is quite similar - in concept, if not in difficulty level - to what students will see on the writing sections of the ACT and SAT. ELA/Literacy example questions: old test items versus PARCC test items EXAMPLE 2 The old math test item is a word problem - students have to use basic reading comprehension skills to work through the question - but it essentially is asking students to count days on a calendar. The new math test item requires students to utilize more sophisticated data analysis skills - namelythey'll have to interpret information instead of just performing mathematical calculations. PARCC exams also asks studentsto explain their reasoning. Math example questions: old test items vs. PARCC test items Preparing for the PARCC Much of the work that you’ll need to do to prepare for the PARCC happens in school. State tests are used to assess instructor, school, district, and state performance, so the pressure to do well isn’t really on the student - it’s on everyone who’s responsible for preparing the student for his or her future. With that being said, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to prepare for the test! Students should want to perform to the best of their ability because that will best inform teachers about their needs. If nothing else, preparing for a PARCC exam is good practice for other future standardized tests. There isn’t a ton of official prep material out there, but PARCC has released official practice tests for each grade level. You shouldapproach PARCC practice in the same way you’d approach ACT/SAT prep: by starting off with a full diagnostic test and then carefully analyzing your mistakes. If you find that you have any weak areas, you can use class notes and/or assistance from your teacher to close up any content gaps. What Your Scores Mean for You Students aren’t penalized or rewarded based on how they perform on PARCC exams. Their results are used to inform teachers, parents, and administrators whether they’re learning everything they’re supposed to be learning - particularly low or high scores should help teachers customize instruction for individual students. What these scores are: A measure of how familiar you are with the test content. To some degree, a measure of how familiar you are with the test format and general test-taking strategy. PERHAPS a measure of whether you’re on track for college and a career. The tests are still very new - we don’t have any hard evidence to suggest that high scores on the test in any way predict success in college and beyond (although there is ongoing research on this question). What these score are not: A measure of your intelligence. A measure of how successful you’ll be in the future. Now that you have a better idea of what your PARCC scores actually mean, we can talk in more detail about the test scoring system. How the PARCC Scoring System Works The tests’ scoring system is based on what they call â€Å"performance levels.† These different levels are: Level 1: Did not yet meet expectations Level 2: Partially met expectations Level 3: Approached expectations Level 4: Met expectations Level 5: Exceeded expectations If you are at level 4 or 5, you’re good to go. Level 3 indicates that you’re almost there - you might just need a little extra help. Levels 1-2 indicate that more significant help from instructors might be necessary to bring scores up to grade level standards. As with other state tests, you’ll receive a score report with your raw score and corresponding performance level after the exam. Here’s an example of what that might look like: An example of a PARCC score report At the bottom of the report, you can see that you’re given a bit more context for your scores - you have access to the school, district, state, and overall score average. If you'd like to learn more, PARCC has set up a site where parents can accessinformation about score results and improving performance. Summary To wrap up, PARCC exams shouldn’t be a source of stress for students or parents. Like most other state tests, these exams arecheck-in assessments that help instructors (and schools, and school districts) understand whether students are on the right track for college or for a career. Unlike other outdated tests, PARCC exams are moving towards assessing higher-level cognitive skills rather than just straight-up content. High school students might recognize that the questions they see on these tests are similar to the ones they might see on the ACT or SAT. It’s unclear whether PARCC tests truly measure college-readiness, but they’re certainly similar to other college entrance exams. Perhaps these year-end tests will help prepare students (starting in 3rd grade!) for future exams where more is at stake. What's Next? PARCC content is based on Common Core standards. If you want to do well on a PARCC exam, you may want to read more about the Common Core and why it matters. Looking at tests similar to the PARCC? Read more about ACT Aspireand check out available practice tests. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

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Verizon Communication Inc - Essay Example (Plunkett 67) . On Feb 2005, Verizon approved to acquire MCI Company. The acquisition was to benefit it in terms of economics of scale and access to a wider base of customers. By the year 2006, MCI was already integrated into Verizon thus adopting the name verizon business. It then became the largest telecommunication company in the U.S In terms of its sales i.e. 75.11 billion; assets added up to 168.13 US dollars and the company had a profit of 9.4 billion US dollars. Later with the mergers of Bell South and AT and TINC, It became the largest telecommunications company based on its profits and assets in the world. (Plunkett 68) The company principarily operates in the US with its headquarters in New York. It offers wireless and wireline services such as voice, network access, data services, broadband video and global internet protocol networks.Verizon communications Inc Operates in more than 150 nations worldwide.Verizon voice messaging services is offered for both businesses and residences.Verizon’s Cell co partnership operates the second largest wireless telecomm network in the US In terms of the number of subscribers and revenue. It is also one of the major US carriers to utilize the CDMA technology and uses 8 billion US dollar annually in its maintenance and expansion. It offers both voice and 3G data services for example, text and picture messaging, over the air downloadable applications and wireless broadband based on EV-DO Rev A. It also carries various mobile services and phones eg LG, Motorola and Samsung. (Lutz 138) Verizon’s video services was launched in September , 2005 and uses optical fibre network to distribute more than 330 channels, 180 digital videos and music channels and 1800 video on demand titles. DSL internet services are offered to the same areas where phone services are provided. It is known to have the largest number of spammers of all networks globaly.Verizon’s yellow

UCAS Personal Statement for University Health and Social Care Hon

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Marketing Managemnt Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Managemnt - Assignment Example The focus in this paper is on marketing management that has gained increasing importance in recent years owing to the notion of globalization and internationalization which has given way to the boundary-less movement of goods and services. Marketing for products that are sold across various cultures, languages, tastes, demographics and external conditions is no longer a simplistic job- it requires adequate and periodic management so that the product achieves a strategic fit with the diverse external environment. No longer can marketers focus their efforts on just the four P’s (product, price, promotion, place)- they have come to realize the blooming significance of 4C’s; Consumer (as opposed to Product), Cost (as opposed to Price), Convenience ( as opposed to Place) and Communications ( as opposed to Promotion). Thus, the above indicates the growing importance of marketing management which enables managers and executives to deal with strategic marketing challenges that the organizations face every day. An important task for marketing managers is the creation of value for consumers. The challenge is thus, how to offer that value? The idea of customer relationship management (which is a part of marketing management) stems from the notion of value creation. At the heart of successful marketing efforts is the ability of the company to provide a product that satisfies the needs of customers. Towards this end it is important to define what a need is- a need is defined as a felt deprivation for something. So, for instance, to feel thirsty is a need that has to be satisfied. A want refers to the means by which that need is satisfied. Thus, how the thirst is quenched (through water, drink, and juice) would become a want. Marketers must target customer needs and satisfy wants. On the contrary, however, it is observed today that marketers are creating needs rather than satisfying them. To this end, the importance of product comes into play. The product is th e crux of marketing- Marketing is grounded in â€Å"consumers† and consumers demand products to satisfy their needs. The product is the starting point for most marketing efforts. It is interesting to note that a product consists of five layers although it may appear as a single, holistic object to us. The central part of the product is referred to as the â€Å"core†. It is this core that forms the basis for the other layers (including basic, expected, augmented and potential product). An example would be of a Nikon camera. Its core benefit would be to allow the user to take photographs and make videos with ease. The actual product will comprise of the brand name (Nikon), high resolution, carrying case etc. The augmented product would be warranty, demonstration and repair etc. Core benefits are often represented as order qualifiers or the bare minimum necessary for products to stay in the market (Homburg et al., 2005). This would simply mean the delivery for what is pro mised. A product or a brand is s promise, and when it is fulfilled in the quantity and quality desired by consumers the phenomenon is termed as core benefits or order qualifiers. For instance, the basic attribute of a bank is to offer accurate maintenance of consumer accounts. Bottled/mineral water provides consumer with a basic minimum level of ingredients or required calorie intake. Conceptual studies from research have revealed that core benefits are a subset of the larger group â€Å"customer benefits† which encompasses not only core benefits but also add-on benefits as discussed earlier. These customer benefits are viewed as the constructive values of customer relationship (Homburg et al., 2005). The core of a product is not tangible- it takes the form of a benefit or an advantage that a consumer may have from using it (Homburg et al., 2005). Thus, the core of a product is in abstract form and cannot be touched. Alternately, core defines the need that marketers

Evaluate the effect of Technological change on the Business Case Study

Evaluate the effect of Technological change on the Business Environment of Sony - Case Study Example The present study would focus on the technological change and their effects on the business strategy of organizations. The choice of the topic assumes significance in the present business environment as most of the firms operating in the modern day business environment have been severely affected as a result of the fluctuations in the business environment that has emerged as a result of the recent economic and financial crisis. The organization selected for the study is Sony Electronics. The choice of the organization assumes significance considering the fact that Sony is a market leader across many consumer electronic markets of the world as is known for its excellence in innovation in its product lines. The firm is accredited with numerous innovations in the field of consumer electronics. Products like Sony Walkman have created a revolution in the world. About the Company Sony Corporation was established in the year 1946 at Tokyo, Japan with an initial start up capital of 190,000 Y en (Sony, 2011). The name of the company has been derived from the Latin word ‘Sonus’ which means sound. ... roximately 7,214,000 million Yen as of 2009.The product portfolio of the company consists of Audio, Video, Televisions, Communication and information devices, Semiconductors and various electronic components like batteries, recording systems etc (Sony-b, 2011). The business prospects of Sony Corporation are largely affected due to the fluctuations in the business environment of the firm. The aspect is more important considering the fact that the firm operates in different markets across the globe which have different consumer behaviour. In addition to varying tastes of consumers the firm also faces issues that are related to the macro environmental aspects like exchange rate fluctuations, economic and fiscal policies etc. Presence of competitors also affects the business prospects of the firm as it plays a major role in shaping the future framework of strategies for the organization. The effect of fluctuating business environment can be easily ascertained by analysing the revised bus iness and revenue forecasts (refer annexure 1) of the company for the year 2010. The global economic down turn has also played a major role in the revision of estimated forecasts. This aspect assumes significance since the sales of electronic products are largely linked to the disposable income of the consumers. The global recession has played a major role in the declination of disposable incomes of individuals which has played a major role in the declination of sales volume and profitability of business organizations like Sony Corporation. Exchange rate fluctuations have also led to considerable pressure on the strategists of the organizations to lower their expected revenue margins. In addition the price competition which has started as a result of dip in sales figure corresponding to the