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Assessments in the State of Ohio

When I prepared this list initially, I focused on just assessments that focus on ELL students. However, as I was reading through the details of each, I realized that not every student is identified as an English Language Learner, or ELL, making virtually all of the assessments used in Ohio a form of assessment of ELLs whether directly or indirectly. Of course, my list expanded. To complicate my mission, Ohio is currently undergoing significant transitions for K-12, arguably K-20, academic standards to align with the Core Curriculum and Adult Basic Education standards. As a result, assessments that impact ELL students, like the Ohio Graduation Test, or OGT, are being phased out for new assessments like the OAA and PARCC described below. For ELL adult learners, assessments have also been under revisions to comply with changing federal regulations regarding WIA and GED funding. In an attempt to make this list manageableespecially since I am new to some of these assessments and may not have all of them listedIve subdivided the assessments currently used into three categories: K-12, Adult and Educator. Educator Assessments are a very BIG DEAL here in Ohio based on the notion that educators are at least 50% responsible for their students progress. In a recent meeting, I learned that there are educators who, primarily due to their own unidentified learning disabilities, needed to take ELL courses. While the Educator Assessments may not necessarily be intended as such, it turns out they have evidently revealed this area of improvement for educators. There is certainly more for me to research in this area!

K-12 Assessments:
National Assessment of Educational Progress in Ohio:
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), or The Nations Report Card, is a national, and continuous assessment, used in Ohio to get a comparison of how students in Ohio are doing relative to what students from other states are doing in various subjects. The test measures student progress in reading, mathematics, science, writing, U.S. history, geography, civics and the arts. This is a sample assessment, so results for individual students is not provided. Ohio Policy Regarding NAEP Participation To comply with the No Child Left Behind legislation mandating that states and districts receiving Title I funding must participate in the biennial NAEP assessments in reading and mathematics in grades 4 and 8, Ohio law requires participation of all selected Ohio schools in any NAEP assessment. More Information: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Testing/National-and-International-Testing/National-Assessment-ofEducational-Progress-in-Ohi

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC):

Flom |2 Ohio is a governing state participating in The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, which is a consortium of 18 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands working together to develop a common set of K-12 assessments in English and math anchored in what it takes to be ready for college and careers. These new K-12 assessments will build a pathway to college and career readiness by the end of high school, track Ohio students progress toward this goal from 3rd grade up, and provide teachers with timely information to inform instruction and provide student support. The PARCC assessments will be ready for states to administer during the 2014-15 school year.

PARCC States (so far!) Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Tennessee. More information: http://www.parcconline.org/ohio

Approved Assessments/Vendors in Ohio:

Required by law, the Ohio Department of Education has created a list of assessments that can measure student growth on subjects that do not have the OAA Value-Added growth measure. The EVAAS ValueAdded data from Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) results for grades 4-8 in reading and math at the teacher level must be used as one of the growth measures. More information: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Educator-Evaluation-System/Ohio-s-Teacher-EvaluationSystem/Student-Growth-Measures/Approved-List-of-Assessments

Ohio Department of Education FAQs related to Assessments:

General information on how to select, or design, appropriate assessments. More information: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Educator-Evaluation-System/How-to-Design-and-SelectQuality-Assessments/Assessment-Literacy-FAQs-updated-1-16-2014/Assessment-Literacy-FAQs

Ohio Test of English Language Acquisition:

The Ohio Test of English Language Acquisition (OTELA) is the assessment used for testing English language proficiency for Ohios Limited English Proficient (LEP) students in Grades K-12. The OTELA assessment is made up of test item banks and scales from the English Language Development Assessment (ELDA). ELDA is a test product for English language proficiency assessment developed through the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Ohio was one member of a multistate collaborative effort to develop and field test the ELDA.

Flom |3 More information: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Testing/Ohio-Test-of-English-Language-Acquisition-OTELA

Ohio Graduation Test:

Students must pass all five parts of the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT) in order to receive high school diplomas. The OGT is aligned with Ohio's academic content standards for English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. More information: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Testing/Ohio-Graduation-Test-OGT Dual Alignment as of 10/17/2013, related to OGT: One component of the transition from the 2001-2002 Academic Content Standards to Ohios New Learning Standards is the dual alignment of the Ohio Achievement Assessments (OAA) and the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) for the 2013-2014 school year. Below are the answers to frequently asked questions about this dual alignment. http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Testing/News/Dual-Alignment

Ohio Achievement Assessments:

Ohio Achievement Assessments (OAA) in reading, mathematics, science, social studies and writing are aligned to Ohios academic content standards. This is the assessment that will be replacing the OGT in the school year, 2014-15. More information: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Testing/Ohio-Achievement-Assessments

Ohio Diagnostic Assessments:

The purpose of Ohios Diagnostic Assessments is to check the progress of students toward meeting the standards. The Ohio Diagnostic Assessments were developed in two formats to measure the beginning and end-of-year skills. More information: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Testing/Diagnostic-Assessments

Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities:

Ohios new Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (AASCD) was administered as of Spring 2013. The AASCD marks a change in Ohios alternate assessmentit is now aligned to Ohios Academic Content StandardsExtended (OACS-E). More information: http://oh.portal.airast.org/Oh_Alt/

Adult Learner Assessments:

In addition to the Test of English as a Foreign Language, TOEFL, typically administered during the application process for college, these are additional assessments for adult learners used in Ohio:

Ohio Adult Basic & Literacy Education (ABLE):

Flom |4 Through ABLE, adult learners may complete the following assessments as prerequisites to professional development or advanced, post-secondary, education: Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE)administered as part of the criteria for receiving Workforce Investment Act, WIA, funding to return school. Link: http://www.ctb.com/ctb.com/control/productFamilyViewAction?productFamilyId=608&p=prod ucts WorkKeys job skills assessment system measuring real-world skills. Link: http://www.act.org/workkeys/assess/ More information: http://www.ohioable.org/

Teacher Evaluations (Assessments):

Ohio's Teacher Evaluation System (OTES):
Each teacher will be evaluated according to Ohio Revised Code and the Evaluation Framework which is aligned with the Standards for the Teaching Profession adopted under state law in an effort to provide educators with a detailed view of their performance relative to their students progress. More information: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Educator-Evaluation-System/Ohio-s-Teacher-EvaluationSystem

Ohio Assessments for Educators:

Although this may not be the intent when gathering information about assessments in Ohio, the initial licensing process is also changing. As of September 2013, a new test series (Ohio Assessments for Educators), will replace many of the Praxis II tests as the required Ohio educator licensure tests. More information: http://www.oh.nesinc.com/