Google Extensions: Tab Scissors and PARCC

Educators everywhere know that technology readiness skills need to be practiced for students to be successful on the PARCC or SmarterBalanced tests. Students are being asked to perform task such as drag and drop, highlighting text and scrolling through passages to read and answer questions.

Teachers will need to create practice performance task so students can get familiar with the various tools. One particularly difficult task for students is to read a passage with a scroll bar on the left and take notes or answer questions on the right. The picture below is an excerpt from the PARCC practice test for 11th grade English.

In Google Chrome the teacher can use the extension Tab Scissors to split the screen and allow students to be able to read a passage and do something with the information on the right. For example, a teacher could assign a primary source text such as Dr. King Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail and have the students take notes or answer questions.