Educator Effectiveness

Message from Commissioner Chester about the November 17, 2015 Board Vote

I want to allay concerns you might have after reading stories in the media that inaccurately described Massachusetts as "abandoning" the Common Core and PARCC. We have not abandoned either one. In 2010, our state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education incorporated the Common Core State Standards into the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks in English language arts and mathematics to reinforce the importance of reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. These are skills that we know students need and that employers and colleges value. Educators have been teaching curricula aligned with the Common Core for several years, and under the state Board's November 17, 2015 vote, teachers will continue to do so as the state builds on and adjusts the standards as needed. Please remember that at all times, curriculum decisions have been and will continue to be made at the local level. While the state standards outline what students should know and be able to do, it is up to districts, schools, and teachers to decide what materials and curriculum will help their students meet the standards. The Board's November 17 vote also embraced PARCC as a major component of Massachusetts' next-generation assessment, which will be administered starting in spring 2017. Massachusetts remains part of the PARCC consortium and will include PARCC content in our updated assessment. Students and educators in districts that administer PARCC in 2016 are gaining experience with a test that will inform the Commonwealth's next-generation assessment. In addition, the 2016 PARCC administration will provide teachers with feedback on students' performance on an assessment designed to measure updated skills. Massachusetts educators and assessment experts spent years helping to build PARCC, and Massachusetts students will continue to benefit from that work. The Board's vote enables Massachusetts to combine PARCC with parts of our existing state assessment and items developed specifically for Massachusetts, ensuring that students, educators, and families will have the accurate information they need. I look forward to working with the field to build a stronger assessment for our Commonwealth. ###

Last Updated: December 18, 2015