Students need to understand how to log in and navigate the test interface.
- The PARCC website provides you and your PARCC Readiness for students involves a number of elements including:
- Understanding how to login and use the test interface
- Understanding how to use the test tools
- Being aware of the common mistakes for completing the test items
- Being ready to address content items for the PARCC assessment
- Being familiar with technology skills utilized by PARCC
- The PARCC website provides several items that will help your students to learn how to use the online test tools. The Test Preparation tab provides SAMPLE ITEMS, TUTORIALS, and PRACTICE TESTS
Students need to be aware of the common mistakes for completing the test items.
Using Fractions in the Math Tests
- When creating an equation that contains fractions in the math test items, please practice selecting numerator, denominator, or entire fraction. For example, to create the equation 3/4 + 1/4, you must:
- Click the button to create the first fraction
- Then click on the numerator placeholder to add the 3
- Then click on the denominator placeholder to add the 4
- An issue arises when you try to add the plus sign after the fraction. You must click on the fraction bar first to be able to add the + sign outside of the numerator or the denominator.
- Then you can create the second fraction for the equation.
Plotting Points on a Graph
- When plotting points on a graph, to remove a point you can just click it a second time.
Using Essay Answer Fields
- When being asked to write an essay, students need to know that the small text field box can hold more than what they see. They should write as much as they think they need to give a good response. Don’t just write as much as it looks like the box can hold. It will scroll.
Scroll Bars Within Test Items
- Make sure that you always scroll all the way down to the bottom of each window to ensure that you get all of the information for each question.
- Some test items have information in a window-within-a-window. These are usually items with more information than displays within the window. Students need to understand that they should use the scroll bars to scroll within these sections. Otherwise, they may miss important information.
Tabs With Additional Information for Test Items
- Some test items will provide a window within the test item that has multiple tabs. Students need to be aware that they should click on all tabs to review information for the test items.
Multiple Choice and Multiple Select are Important Distinctions for Test Items
- Some test items will ask students to choose one answer, while others will ask students to select more than one answer. Students need to read directions carefully to be sure that they know when to select more than one answer for an item.
Using Test Tools and Submitting Answers
- Students need to be aware that the tools in the toolbar at the top of the screens do not submit their answers for them. They are only tools to help them determine an answer that they must then enter in the prescribed manner of the question.
- For example, if a student finds the answer to a math question using the calculator, to successfully submit the answer they will either still need to enter it into a text field, select the answer from a list of items, select the answer from a drop-down menu, etc.
- A second example can be found when students use the eliminator tool on a test item. Using the eliminator tool allows students to cross off possible answers. The students still must select the correct answer to successfully complete the item.
- Many students finished quickly and did not click "REVIEW" to see their work. One student that did click "REVIEW" was surprised when she had a question that had not been answered.
Login and Extraneous Mouse Clicks
- Students need to be reminded NOT to click the mouse while the system is logging them in, or while the computer is opening the test. The system may register this as a security breach and subsequently lock the test. The teacher then needs to resume the test for that student.
Test Script for Teachers (Test Administrators)
- The script should be followed exactly. Some teachers had questions that prevented them from moving forward in the test administration. When they read the directions between the spoken portions of the script, they found that the answers were there for them.
- Testing times should be clearly labeled for the children. It wasn’t clear to teachers on some days. All of the test durations can be found in the test administration manual.