New Mexico Schools Chief Predicts Dip In First PARCC Scores.

The AP (9/28) reports that New Mexico Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera “is warning parents, students and educators to expect lower scores from a new statewide exam designed to test students’ knowledge of Common Core standards.” This will be the state’s first release of PARCC test results. The piece quotes Skandera saying, “We don’t know where New Mexico is going to fall on that spectrum, but it is fair to say we adopted those same higher standards, so we can anticipate and be prepared. The dip won’t be because our kids got worse or our teachers aren’t teaching as well – it is because we raised the bar.”         The Albuquerque (NM) Journal (9/28) reports that Skandera “said other states that have started using PARCC...have seen a 20 percent to 40 percent drop in students rated proficient.” Despite the initial dip, Skandera predicted a “rise in the coming years as PARCC becomes more familiar and student achievement improves.” The state will begin releasing test scores in October.