Dive Brief:

• A new report issued by Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) details the results of the consortium's field tests for its Common Core-aligned exams, taken by an estimated 1.1 million students in 16,000 U.S. schools this spring.
• Students had an overall positive experience with both the computer-based and written tests, with a majority saying they had enough time for both the written and math portions, according to the report. Math, however, gave 65% of the students some ease-of-use issues.
• Additionally, the consortium didn't experience any "system-wide" tech breakdowns, though EdSurge reports that there were issues with Pearson's cloud-based TestNav8 system and the PearsonAccess computer-based testing system, as well as the user-friendliness of administration manuals.

Dive Insight:

Some students also felt their school work hadn't prepared them enough for the tests: 63% for math and 33% for English language arts, specifically. Still, the results seem promising enough without an overwhelming number of issues to address before the test is administered to more than five million students next year. With particular attention to the fact that there weren't any system-wide tech breakdowns reported, one wonders if states like Oklahoma, which has seen testing disrupted by glitches for the last two years, were paying attention.