News Article - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

For Immediate Release
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Contact:	Jacqueline Reis 781-338-3115

Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to Hold Public Forums on PARCC Assessment

Malden - The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will hold a series of public forums across the Commonwealth on the upcoming decision on whether to sunset the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and adopt the Partnership for the Assessment of College and Careers (PARCC). Members of the public will be invited to attend and offer their perspectives on the PARCC assessments on the following dates:

Tuesday, April 28, 2015, Fitchburg State University, Hammond Hall, 3:00-6:00 p.m. (following the regular Board meeting)
Monday, May 18, 2015, Bunker Hill Community College, A300 Auditorium, UPDATED 5:00-8:00 p.m. (in lieu of the special Board meeting)
Wednesday, June 10, 2015, Bridgewater State University, Rondileau Campus Center Ballroom, UPDATED 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Monday, June 22, 2015, North Shore Community College-Lynn Campus, Gymnasium, 4:00-7:00 p.m. (in lieu of the special Board meeting)
Tuesday, July 7, 2015, Springfield Technical Community College, Top of Our City Conference Center, 4:00–7:00 p.m.

Individuals who would like to speak must register when they arrive and will be given three minutes to speak within the time allotted. In addition to hearing testimony from members of the public, the forums may also include brief presentations from educators and others with particular expertise on topics such as test administration, college and career readiness, alignment with the curriculum frameworks, implications for classroom instruction, and online testing. Members of the public who are unable to testify at one of the forums are encouraged to submit written comments to boe@doe.mass.edu. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is expected to make a decision this fall as to whether PARCC should replace current MCAS tests in English language arts and mathematics. The Board will be reviewing the results of last year's field tests and this year's operational tests, as well as studies conducted by other organizations. At the request of Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito, the Board will also inform their decision with the additional feedback provided at the forums. For more information on PARCC, please see Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). ###

Last Updated: April 9, 2015