Dartmouth ranked well in PARCC scores, but the School Committee met to discuss why that might not matter by 2017.

On Monday, Nov. 23, Assistant Superintendent Michelle T. Troy gave the committee a follow-up presentation on PARCC score assessments. The scores were made available to the public on Nov. 10. Most Dartmouth students exceeded the state average in both English and math scores.

PARCC testing, or the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, was administered in Spring 2015 to students in grades 3 through 8. Across the state, 777 schools participated in PARCC testing. The test is noted for being in line with Common Core standards.

The state's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted on Nov. 17 to abandon PARCC and continue developing next-generation MCAS, formerly known as MCAS 2.0. According to the Board, next-generation will "utilize both MCAS and PARCC items, along with items developed specifically for the Massachusetts tests."

According to Troy, the transition will not occur until the 2017 school year so students in the district will be taking PARCC one more time in the spring of 2016. Additionally, Next-Generation MCAS will be fully computer-based by 2019, giving the district four years to prepare for a fully online system.

In her presentation, Troy noted that there were some performance differences in schools where PARCC was administered electronically rather than on paper. Students in the district took the test on paper.

“From a paper-based point of view, Dartmouth did really well,” Troy said.

In the English section, all grades tested experienced "student percentile" growth. Grades 4, 5, 6 and 8 all had tremendous growth, each at over 60 percent, while grade 7 experienced average student growth at 51 percent.

“[Dartmouth] scored better than [cohorts] in the previous two years,” Troy said.

Grade 3 has no student growth percentile because it is those students’ first time being PARCC tested.

Troy also provided some state assessment updates regarding the future of standardized testing in the district. The updated MCAS test will be administered to all public schools beginning in spring 2017 with the goal of being fully computerized by spring 2019. However, while Dartmouth continues to administer PARCC testing, the district will be “held harmless” for any negative changes in achievement.

Grade 10, the only grade to take the complete MCAS test, will remain unchanged as broader testing options continue to be explored.

Some committee members expressed disappointment in the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education’s decision to forgo PARCC as a permanent testing solution.

“There was a good deal of money that was invested in PARCC, and now there’s going to be more money invested on one level or another,” said Committee Member Chris Garth. “…We have to pump even more money into testing when we could’ve been putting it towards [other programs]. It’s disappointing.”

Troy said that PARCC accountability ratings have not yet been publicly released so they will be covered at the Dec. 14 committee meeting. Parents can expect individual students’ scores to be made available after Thanksgiving break.