JUNE 4, 2014
Arizona to withdraw as governing state for PARCC
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a collection of states, of which Arizona is a governing state, dedicated to creating a state assessment aligned to higher standards. With the pending release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) from the Arizona State Board of Education for a new statewide assessment that will replace AIMS, Governor Jan Brewer, Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal and State Board of Education President Tom Tyree today announced Arizona’s intent to withdraw from PARCC.
Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards remain intact. Arizona continues to move deliberately towards replacing AIMS with a meaningful state assessment aligned to the new standards.
The state’s withdrawal from the consortium is not a reflection on PARCC, its work, or the quality of the PARCC assessment. The withdrawal is necessary to maintain the integrity of the RFP process. PARCC will be able to compete for the state’s contract along with any other vendor.
Arizona’s participation in the PARCC consortium has been beneficial to the state and its education community. Approximately 100,000 Arizona students have had the opportunity to experience more rigorous assessment tools first-hand, and a majority of Arizona schools have had the opportunity to administer a computer-based assessment in a low-stakes environment. Arizona’s educators have been directly involved in developing next generation assessments items designed to better measure problem solving and critical thinking and to ensure that every student in Arizona is provided a quality education that will prepare them for success in college and in their careers.
