Illinois Officials Tout New Common Core-Aligned Assessments

The Chicago Daily Herald (11/1, Placek, Sanchez) reports that education officials in Illinois "say the current method of testing students isn't properly measuring their progress," though they hope that new tests aligned with the Common Core Standards will change this. "It's expected the new tests, administered by a 23-state consortium called the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, will be given at least twice a year, unlike the current Illinois Standards Achievement Test, which is given annually to students in grades 3-8. ... More frequent testing - which will be administered on computers - will give teachers more timely information about how well their students are learning, or where they're struggling, said State Superintendent of Education Christopher Koch."