States that stuck with shared tests are ahead of the game

Those who were quick to dismiss the Common Core assessments as fatally flawed are having to eat their words.The evidence is in, and it looks like those states that stayed the course with Smarter Balanced and PARCC are in a far more stable position than those states that bowed to political pressure and retreated.

As this U.S. News and World Report commentary aptly illustrates, the states that are continuing to collaborate on these shared assessments are experiencing fewer problems and saving money. This, in contrast with states that dropped out of the consortia—including Georgia, Alaska, Tennessee, Indiana and Mississippi. As the author states:

It was a massive undertaking to roll out brand new exams to 12 million students in 30 states in spring of 2015. For the first time, most students took their tests on computers. Not surprisingly, there were some challenges. A handful of those states – including Colorado, Montana and Nevada – had problems like server interruptions, system overloads and software problems.

Fast forward to 2016. Not a single Smarter Balanced state reported any technical problems with testing. And only one PARCC state – New Jersey – has had any issues. States have figured out technical problems, worked together and the new tests are running smoothly. By contrast, states that decided to leave the consortia or have gone it alone from the beginning are seeing more and more problems crop up.

For more details, check out this piece.

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Tracy Dell'Angela

Tracy Dell'Angela

Tracy loves to ask questions and write stories. She roots for the underdog, wants our nation to reimagine schools and the teaching profession, and seethes about how much school inequity she sees. She spent most of her career as a journalist covering schools and crime. She and her husband raised two daughters in a diverse suburb of Chicago. She currently runs an education foundation in her community and formerly served as managing editor of Education Post. After leaving journalism she explored her wonkier side communicating school research at the University of Chicago and the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. She is Californian by birth and a Chicagoan in spirit. She loves the outdoors and all animals, especially her spoiled "dingo" dog.

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