Mobilizing Teachers, Parents and Stakeholders to Support Assessment
Even before the first student had taken the new test, the consortium faced hostile media coverage and state legislative threats fueled by rampant misinformation. Several legislators and state departments of education were under fire and beginning to reconsider giving the assessments to their students. Parents in several states joined the movement to opt their children out of taking the test.
The Challenge
Integrated State Communications Campaign
The Solution
01\
Developing the Right Messages
02\
Changing the Media Narrative
03\
Engaging Teachers, Parents and Other Stakeholders
The Results
Millions of Students Successfully Complete Test
During the 2015-2016 school year, states successfully administered the PARCC assessment to more than 5 million students in 11 states and the District of Columbia. By the end of the year, more detailed and useful information on student learning was presented to parents, teachers and schools across participating states without the anticipated backlash over lower proficiency scores.
Despite continued national and state debates over assessments, our integrated communications campaign, which utilized virtually every tool in the modern advocacy toolbox in a coordinated manner, enabled PARCC to successfully navigate legislative, public opinion and grassroots challenges alike. As a result, the consortium began the 2016-2017 school year with a firm foundation of state support, a more student-focused narrative and a new operating model that provides states the flexibility and autonomy to access the highest-quality assessment and learning tools in the country.
