Assessment

North Dakota Drops Out of PARCC, Commits to Smarter Balanced

By Catherine Gewertz — July 17, 2013 1 min read
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Those of you who yearn for our little map of assessment consortia membership are in for a treat today. We bring you news that North Dakota has dropped out of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC.

North Dakota was the last remaining “polygamous” state in the assessment-consortium world, meaning that it belonged to both PARCC and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. To do that, it had to be only a “participating” or “advisory” member of each. That means it can participate in discussion, but has no voting power.

Its decision to become a “governing state” in Smarter Balanced means it now has voting power, but also commits to using Smarter Balanced tests once they are completed in 2014-15. It also means it must withdraw from the other consortium, PARCC. That withdrawal was confirmed for me by PARCC officials. In a statement, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler said Smarter Balanced offered North Dakota a good regional fit.

So here is what consortium membership looks like as of today:

Common Standards and Assessment Consortia Membership infographic by lindajurkowitz.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Curriculum Matters blog.