The Old Rochester Regional School Committee voted unanimously to approve the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College Careers (PARCC) test as the standardized exam for students next year, ousting the long-time and soon-to-be obsolete MCAS test.

Recently, the tri-town elementary school committees also voted to adopt the new test, which aligns with the recently adopted Common Core curriculum.

Schools in the state have the option to stay with MCAS for another year or switch over to PARCC, one of the “new generation” tests that is administered online. MCAS will still be available for the classes of 2015 and 2016 for graduation purposes, said White.

This year a few classes piloted the test, though the schools did not receive results from the exam. For the coming year, the schools will receive test results, but they will not harm the school’s standing, said Superintendent Doug White. In fact, they could do the opposite. Currently, ORR is a Level 2 school.

“If we were to do better and improve and get a result of a Level 1, that would move us to a Level 1,” said White.

As MCAS is being phased out, ORR High School Principal Mike Devoll said shifting to the test now would give students a leg up on content and format.

“I thought the benefit would be the more exposure the students get to taking a test in that fashion, the better they would be,” he said.

High school student Jacob Spevack offered his opinion of the PARCC exam after taking the mid-year and year-end geometry test.

“I think that it is a lot more innovative,” said Spevack. “My concern about it is the actual content. The content on the test was not exactly what we were taught in class. My opinion is that the curriculum would need to be looked at.”

The school’s technology capabilities would also need to be assessed. Early adoption of PARCC may come with extra support from the state, said White.

The schools will also need to monitor the computer proficiency of students. While many students are “digital natives,” some do not have access to computers at home, said Assistant Superintendent Elise Frangos.

“I think it’s going to be incumbent upon all of us that kids who are not advantaged… that we get those tools in their hands and there is no digital divide,” said Frangos.