January 16, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Board of Education today voted to withdraw from the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) consortium, which developed the English Language Arts and mathematics assessments aligned to Mississippi’s College- and Career-Ready Standards.
On February 2, the Board will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for state assessments aligned to the standards starting in the 2015-2016 school year.
“The new RFP process will give the state the opportunity to seek competitive, multi-year bids,” said Dr. John R. Kelly, chairman of the Board of Education. “Our exit from PARCC will help ensure the process is open and transparent. Any assessment vendor may submit a bid for the contract provided they meet the RFP requirements and their assessment measures what students are learning in our classrooms.”
The Mississippi Department of Education has contracted with NCS Pearson, Inc. to deliver the 2014-2015 PARCC assessment as a one-year emergency procurement. This will remain the statewide assessment for the 2014-2015 school year.
“The State Board of Education remains fully committed to maintaining Mississippi’s College- and Career-Ready Standards,” Kelly said. “This is our top priority.”
Mississippi’s College- and Career-Ready Standards are the highest academic standards the state has ever had in its history. These standards spell out what students are expected to learn in English language arts and math in grades 3 through 8 and in high school.
“We greatly appreciate the teachers, administrators, and the Mississippi Department of Education staff for their work with PARCC,” Kelly said.
Media Contact:
Patrice Guilfoyle, APR
Director of Communications
601-359-3706
Jean Cook, APR
Communications Specialist
601-359-3519