Is My State PARCC or SBAC?

Many parents write to us wondering, “Is my state PARCC or SBAC?” If this sounds like a foreign language to you, it’s something you should start thinking about for your own child. PARCC and SBAC are the two major consortia associated with the Common Core State Standards, the new state tests that made their debut this year. These tests are generally harder than the state-specific tests they’re replacing, and in some cases your child has to pass in order to advance to the next grade. So it’s crucial that you found out not only whether your state PARCC or SBAC, but also what you need to do to put your child in a position to ace the test.

So, is your state PARCC or SBAC? That’s a question with an answer that’s changed considerably over the past year, as states withdraw from the Common Core and reexamine their state testing plan.

As of right now, SBAC states include Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

If you’re in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, or Washington, D.C., you’re in a PARCC state.

Still wondering whether your state PARCC or SBAC because you don’t see it on the list? If you’re in Florida, Utah, or Arizona, you’re in the AIR consortium, a newer offshoot that may gain more states in the future. And any other state that hasn’t been listed above has its own, state-specific test. These are states that decided not to opt into the Common Core.

Regardless of which consortium your state falls into, the best way to make sure your child is prepared is to practice with the material ahead of time. Typically, your child’s curriculum will be tailored around what appears on the test, so work with their schoolwork in addition to Common Core-specific study materials.

As you can see, the question of “is my state PARCC or SBAC” is just the beginning!