A Teche Area school superintendent said school systems have not yet had enough time to prepare for the new PARCC testing.

The state Department of Education has released sample questions for the 2015 PARCC — Partnership for Assessment fo Readiness for College and Careers — test, the assessment that will replace the LEAP and iLEAP tests starting in the 2014-15 school year.

Sample English Language Arts items for third- to fifth-graders include reading a passage from “The Cricket and the Cougar” by Katherine Chandler and answering questions like “What is the meaning of the word master as it is used in paragraphs five and six?” or “Which statement best expresses one of the themes of the story?”

The students then would read a passage from “Kira-Kira” by Cynthia Kadohota, answer questions about that passage and then write an essay describing the mosquito from the first passage and one of the main characters from the second.

For each character described, the test requires the student “explain how the thoughts, words and/or actions of the character help you understand what the character is like,” “explain why the character chose to save his or her family member” and include specific details from each story to support the ideas.

Students in grades three and four will take paper and pencil assessments in 2015 but will transition to online assessments in 2016, according to a DOE prepared statement.

Students in grades fifth through eighth will take PARCC online starting in 2015.

A sample math question for sixth through eighth grade is about finding the distance in units from point A to point B on a cone with a height of 24 units and a diameter of 20 units. The cone is drawn for the student to see with points A and B shown. Point A is the vertex of the cone and point B lies on the circumference of the base of the cone, the test said.

The student has drop-down tools he can use, such as an eighth-inch ruler, a protractor, a scientific calculator and a basic calculator.

“These questions demonstrate two ideas: a return to independent thinking and a commitment to ensure that our education system is as strong as any in America,” said state Superintendent John White in a prepared statement. 

“By providing these sample questions more than a year in advance, the state is providing increased, intensive support to school systems as they plan for changes to come.”

The assessment includes new computer-based features, including drag-and-drop, text highlighting and an equation builder, the statement said.

St. Mary Parish Superintendent of Schools Donald Aguillard said school districts need more time to prepare for the new standardized tests.

“We are not allowing sufficient time for teaching practices to prepare students with the heightened rigors of PARCC testing,” Aguillard said. “Districts are still searching for appropriate curricular materials to cover appropriately the topics included in PARCC testing.” 

But Aguillard did say PARCC improves on the LEAP test in three ways.

“Instead of just basic comprehension questions, the questions on the PARCC test expect students to use reason, use logic and communicate,” he said. “Students are asked to explain their answers,cite evidence and write many responses instead of just through a bubble tests … (and) the format of the test is tailored to individual student needs.” 

To see sample questions for grades third through fifth, sixth through eighth and high school, visit http://practice.parcc.testnav.com.