The Mississippi Board of Education voted last week to leave the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, a consortium developing tests aligned to the Common Core State Standards, and to seek a new test for next school year.
The state board announced that it would seek a new state assessment in English/language arts and math for the 2015-16 school year by issuing a request for proposals on Feb. 2. The state will still administer the PARCC exam this spring.
The move comes roughly a week after the Colorado state board voted to allow districts to opt out of giving the PARCC assessment, a move some state officials said might be illegal. The Mississippi departure would put the consortium membership at 11 states and the District of Columbia.
