1. Ohio’s State Tests and the Third Grade Guarantee
October 16, 2018
Johnstown Elementary

2. Learning Goals for this Session
By the time you leave tonight, we hope you will have a better understanding of:
What assessments your third grader will take this year, when the tests will be administered, and how to interpret the score reports
Current law regarding the Third Grade Guarantee
What type of skills are needed for the state reading assessment
What resources are available to help your child
Learning Goals for this Session

3. Feel free to ask questions at any time

4. Getting to know the Acronyms
ODE: Ohio Department of Education
OSTs: Ohio’s State Tests
AIR: American Institute for Research
ELA: English Language Arts
RIMP: Reading Improvement and Monitoring Plan
Getting to know the Acronyms

5. Why do we have Ohio’s State Tests?
Federal and state laws require state testing for specific grades
Inform the annual report card Ohio gives to every school district
Gives schools information on what to teach in the next school year
Gives parents a way to compare their children’s progress, if they wish, to that of their classmates and peers throughout the state
State tests are NOT meant to give feedback that will help guide teaching for the same school year. That is what locally-developed or vendor assessments are for.
State tests are NOT meant to give feedback that will help guide teaching for the rest of the same school year. This is what we use our locally developed tests for.
[NOTE – this is the section where you should be putting information about the score reports that families will be receiving this year in November from last year’s tests – and an idea of what kind of info they get from the tests - We have to emphasize that

6. Understanding state tests vs. local tests
State Assessments
Local/Vendor Assessments
Ohio’s State Test for ELA
Ohio’s State Test for Math
State Diagnostic Assessments for Reading
i-ready Diagnostic for Math
i-ready Diagnostic for Reading
ODE requires students in grades K-3 to take a state reading diagnostic by September 30. i-Ready is used as our state diagnostic.
Some students may take an alternative reading assessment later in the year.
Note: Per changes in ORC (D)(3), beginning with the school year, school districts will not be required to administer the mathematics or writing diagnostics in grades one and two or the writing diagnostic in grade three, but may do so at the discretion of the district board. 
Understanding state tests vs. local tests

7. State Test Grades and Subjects
Students Grades 3-8
English Language Arts and Math
Students Grades 5,8
Science
Students Grades 4,6
Social Studies
--Students in Grades 3-8 will take English language arts and mathematics tests
--Students in Grades 4 and 6 will take the social studies test
--Students in Grades 5 and 8 will take the science test

8. Each subject area has two parts
Each of Ohio’s State Tests will require about three hours.
Each subject area has two parts
Grades 3-5
Part One: Reading and one Extended Writing Response
Part Two: Reading only
ELA Part I-October 23
ELA Part II-October 24
90 minutes

9. Third Grade Reading Test
Grade 3 English language arts:
Oct , 2018
Spring 2019
This means our third-graders will have two times during the school year to take the test for the Third Grade Reading Guarantee—that’s two chances to show they are reading at the level needed to advance to the fourth grade.
[If you district offers them, also explain that struggling readers may take alternative tests, which will give them additional opportunities to show they are reading on grade level.]

10. Following are the cut scores for on-track/not-on-track for reading readiness:
 Kindergarten: 332
 Grade 1: 378
 Grade 2: 440
 Grade 3: 495
When can a student be considered on-track during the year and can they be changed to not on-track during the year for any reason? If a student is assessed to be not on-track at the beginning of the school year (by September 30th for students in grades one through three and November 1 for kindergarten students), that student will officially be not on-track and on a reading improvement and monitoring plan until the student either scores on-track on the following year’s reading diagnostic assessment or scores proficient on the Grade 3 ELA test.
If the student scores on-track on another reading diagnostic during the same school year, it does not terminate the reading improvement and monitoring plan, and it does not change the student’s reported not on-track status. Within the reading improvement and monitoring plan, parents and teachers should address what happens to a student if he or she can read at grade level during the year. The reading interventions may need to change at that point. The plan should always help a student improve their reading ability and ensure the student does not fall behind.
Schools may electively provide a student who is identified as on-track a reading improvement and monitoring plan if there is evidence that the student is reading below grade level and the decision is that the student needs help with reading.  If a school electively places an on-track student on a reading improvement and monitoring plan, all the requirements of a reading improvement and monitoring plan must be adhered to, including reporting requirements.

11. 516

14. 2018-2019 English Language Arts Test Promotion Score Update
The State Board of Education has voted to raise the promotion score of the grade 3 Ohio’s State Test in English Language Arts to 677 for the school year. Any student who scores 677 or higher on the English language arts scaled score will be eligible for promotion at the end of the year.
In addition, the Ohio Department of Education has set the reading sub score alternative promotion score for the grade 3 English language arts test at 45 for the school year. Any student who scores 45 or higher on the reading sub score will be eligible for promotion at the end of the year, even if the student scores below 677 on the English language arts test.
Proficient = 700 or higher
Promotion Scores

16. If My Child Met the Promotion Score:
January:
My child will take an i-Ready assessment in order to monitor progress on grade level content.
April/May:
My child will take the Spring English language arts test and the math test. The goal is for students to score at least a 700 (Proficient).
My child will take the Spring i- Ready assessment in order to monitor progress on grade level content.

17. If My Child Met the Promotion Score: January:
My child will take an i-Ready assessment in order to monitor progress on grade level content.
April/May:
My child will take the Spring English language arts test and the math test. The goal is for students to score at least a 700 (Proficient).
My child will take the Spring i- Ready assessment in order to monitor progress on grade level content.
If My Child Did Not Meet the Promotion Score:
January:
My child will take an i-Ready assessment in order to monitor progress on grade level content. This assessment will also serve as an alternative assessment for the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Students need to score a 500 to meet the promotion score.
April/May:
My child will take the Spring English language arts test and math test. A score of 677 or a sub score of 45 is needed for promotion to 4th grade.
My child will take the Spring i-Ready assessment in order to monitor progress on grade level content. If necessary, this assessment will once again serve as an alternative assessment for the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Students need to score a 500 to meet the promotion score.
Summer:
If necessary, my child may take the English Language Arts as well as the i-Ready assessment test again.

18. What does the test look like?

28. What has the school been doing to prepare?
Implementing and instructing on Ohio’s New Learning Standards
Computer Literacy Instruction-Keyboarding Without Tears
Grade Level Reading Comprehension Instruction
Writing Prompts
What has the school been doing to prepare?

29. Log on to the practice site with your child and work side by side with them on navigating the technology
Use the practice site to get a feel for the types of questions and responses necessary to show grade level proficiency
Read with your child every night and ask them to answer questions about what they’ve read
Be sure your child has a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast on test days
Be positive with your child on the day of the test and try not to put pressure on your child about the tests or retention
How can you help?

30. Helpful Resources

31.
Practice Site

32. Ohio’s New Learning Standards
Websites –Curriculum

33. Websites - Instruction
Math
Reading
Websites - Instruction