Well, just your luck, the Department of Education had assembled sample questions for us all to try our hands at.
Visit parcconline.org and click on "PARCC Assessment" and "sample questions" on the left.
For example, if you are in the fourth grade, you will have to plot the fractions 3/2 and 5/6 on a number line and explain which fraction is larger and why. You will also have to come up with a fraction that is between the two fractions.
Easy, right?
If you are a sixth-grader, this question may pop up in this year's PARCC assessments:
Mr. Ruiz is starting a marching band at his school. He first does research and finds the following data on other local marching bands: Band 1 has 123 brass instrument players, band 2 has 42 brass instrument players and Band 3 has 150 brass instrument players. Band 1 also has 41 percussion instrument players. Band 2 has 14 percussion instrument players and Band 3 has 50 percussion instrument players.
Mr. Ruiz realizes there are how many brass instrument players per percussion player?
And if that wasn't enough, here is the second part of that question.
Mr. Ruiz has 210 students who are interested in joining the marching band. He decides to have 80 percent of the band be made up of percussion and brass instruments. Use the unit rate you found in Part A to determine how many students should play brass instruments.
Did you get the answer?
Dolores Elementary School Principal Sherri Maxwell addressed the new assessments.
"All Colorado public school districts are fully implementing the new Colorado State Standards (CAS) this school year. With the new standards come new assessments. Quality assessments are critical in ensuring that students are learning what they need to learn to be well prepared for the future. Quality assessments also give schools the data necessary to make sure the curriculum is getting the job done," she wrote.
The old CSAP testing was replaced by TCAP testing. Now the PARCC (Partnership Academic Readiness for College and Career) has replaced the TCAP. The PARCC is a national reading, writing and math assessment aligned to the Common Core. Colorado also assesses our students' attainment of the science and social studies standards with the Colorado Measure of Academic Success or CMAS assessments. "
Learn at parcconline.org/for-parents.
Dolores students gather food
The food drive held by students was a huge success. Elementary students collected 1,500 cans, donated to local families and pantries.
Schedule
Nov. 23 - 28: Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 4: Dolores Elementary PTA meeting at 8:15 a.m.
Dec. 5: M.S. Volleyball Banquet in the Commons at 6 p.m.
Dec. 6: No School/Staff PLC
DEc. 6, 7, 13 and 14: "Horatio will be Late" Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Dec. 18: Elementary Winter Program 7 p.m. in the Aux. Gym
Dec. 22 to Jan. 5: Winter Break
Shannon Livick
