With five assessment consortia all trying to field-test around the same time, at least one group is saying it’s been tough to find willing participants to try out the new common-core-linked exams.
Officials of the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment Consortium, which is developing English-language-proficiency tests, say schools have been reluctant to participate.
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, and two groups focusing on students with severe cognitive disabilities are all field-testing exams aligned to the Common Core State Standards this spring. The field tests are optional, and a WIDA official said it’s been “hard … to get buy-in.”