Fourth graders were asked to read a passage and identify not just the theme of the story, but also the context clues that helped them get the answer. Third-grade math students were asked to calculate the area of rectangles, compare them to other rectangles, then recalculate the area if the rectangles were combined, and show their work.
“This isn’t a memorize test. This is a concepts, skills and how-do-you-apply-your-knowledge kind of test,” said Char Shryock, Leader of the Ohio Educator Leader Cadre, a group that has helped implement Ohio’s new learning standards over the past three years.
New tests
This spring, Ohio largely replaces the years-old Ohio Achievement Assessments and Ohio Graduation Test with Common Core-based tests, most of them from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).
All students in grades three through eight will take reading and math tests. Grades five and eight will take science tests, while grades four and six will take social studies tests. High school sophomores and up are grandfathered into the OGT, while this year’s freshmen take the new tests. Those new high schoolers will take a total of seven subject tests, spread over their first three years of high school (taking the Algebra 1 test whichever year they take that class, for example).
Much of that is similar to the existing structure. But one of the biggest differences is the two-part test. In each tested subject, students will take “performance-based tests,” with more open-ended questions and explanation required, between Feb. 16 and March 20. Then they’ll take end-of-course tests, with more traditional multiple choice questions, between April 13 and May 15.
For that third-grade math “test,” there are actually four testing sessions — two 75-minute units in the performance-based window, and two more in the end-of-course window.
Academic preparation
Districts had a choice between administering the tests online this spring, or opting for a final year of paper and pencil tests.
All spring assessments in Middletown will be administered on Chromebooks and a limited number of Mac computers, said Deborah Houser, curriculum coordinator for Middletown City Schools.
In Fairfield, the district’s spring assessments will also be completely online, except for a few students whose needs dictated a paper and pencil assessment, said Lani Wildow, director of curriculum and instruction for Fairfield.
Last spring and summer, the Middletown district participated in three field tests of the new English language arts and mathematics assessments from the PARCC.
To prepare, students in Middletown have also been taking online practice tests and tutorials on how to use the various tools within the online testing system, such as the highlighting and bolding of text, using the graphing calculator, ruler and protractor, and a text-to-speech accommodation.
“You don’t want them to figure it out the day of,” Houser said. “The more you have them on computers, the more tech savvy they become.”
Houser said while students have quickly caught onto the online tools, they still struggle with the keyboard and typing essay responses.
“They are still on single stroke; we’ve had to renew our focus,” Houser said, adding the technology department compiled online keyboarding sites for teachers to integrate into instruction.
Janet Baker, superintendent of Hamilton City Schools, said she feels “very confident” the district is prepared for the upcoming PARCC testing.
Baker said elementary students will still take paper and pencil versions, while students on the secondary levels will participate in online testing.
“We have also participated in the state’s pilot testing to gain a better understanding of what to expect,” Baker said. “We have invested in additional technology and infrastructure to ensure that it will support the new requirements.”
Districts across Ohio, including Fairfield and Middletown, will participate in an “infrastructure trial” Thursday with students simulating the online assessments to test Wi-Fi and bandwidth capabilities, according to school officials.
Many school districts will participate in a state-organized test-run on Thursday to see whether computer networks can handle the massive numbers of students taking online tests at the same time.
On the whole, state officials expressed confidence in the new tests Tuesday. ODE spokesman John Charlton said the tests were developed with thousands of hours of input from Ohio educators and will “effectively measure achievement across all levels.”
Some local educators, however, say the process of switching to the new tests has been rushed.
“We have made a valiant effort (to prepare students),” said Springfield City Schools Superintendent David Estrop. “Are they adequately prepared? We’ll find out when they take the test. My suspicion is, like New York state before us, the results are going to be abysmal. The only way that won’t happen is if the state adjusts the cut score down, permitting more children to pass.”
In New York, only 31 percent of students scored “proficient” in the first year of that state’s Common Core math and reading tests.
Staff writer Jeremy Kelley contributed to this report.
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