Real Talk on Ohio's Assessment Challenges & Solutions

Ohio's K-12 assessment landscape is evolving, bringing both exciting opportunities and new challenges for educators. To help educators navigate these changes, we recently hosted a webinar, Decoding Ohio's Next Generation Assessments, featuring insightful perspectives from Dr. Crystal Aker, Coordinator of Assessment, Accountability, and Research at Springfield City School District, and Chris Thompson, Testing & Assessment Coordinator at Middletown City School District.

Key Takeaways

• Stay informed about the latest updates to Ohio's assessment system.
• Collaborate with colleagues and leverage support networks.
• Explore solutions to streamline processes and improve data management.
• Embrace a proactive approach to assessment planning and data analysis.  

Q: What are some of the latest updates in Ohio's assessment landscape?

Dr. Crystal Aker: One big change is the online Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA) now has 33% less questions, so it takes a lot less time to give that online assessment.

Q: What are your thoughts on the availability of Spanish language support in Ohio's assessments?

Chris Thompson: It's always been available as a toggle option for math, social studies and science, but the accessibility manual stated if the student wasn't in a dual language classroom, it would be considered inappropriate for them to have access to that on the test.

Dr. Crystal Aker: Regarding dual language classrooms, there was even an interesting discussion about English speakers who are learning Spanish and getting instruction in Spanish. Do you turn that on? That brought up some ethical questions.

Q: What about the recent change in the ACT WorkKeys score requirement for graduation pathways?

Dr. Crystal Aker: I read that it went from a total score of 14 down to 12 for an alternative demonstration of competency. It's a little bit lower, and maybe a little bit more attainable for some of our students.

Q: What are some of the challenges you've encountered with Ohio's next generation assessments, and what solutions have you found?

Chris Thompson: The retake window for us is always a challenge. We have to make sure that we catch all the students who need to retest — we get 2 attempts. I've yet to find a decent program that can filter off my re-testers super easy, but I did hear that the TestHound team is working on a solution for that!

Dr. Crystal Aker: We also heard rumblings that Cincinnati Public Schools did a pilot with the Ohio test portal to link their progress book or their student information system (SIS) with the Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDS) instead of adding students manually into the system. If it's just linked with your SIS, it could then pull the students in.

Chris Thompson: It would be nice if we could get those level one and level two reports during testing. Right now, it's not immediately available. Also to remember, good data in, good data out. It's important to make sure we've got the right information in our SIS.

Dr. Crystal Aker: We do something in our district where we give our building test coordinators SIS access to add in, when a student misses a test, the reason why and maintain the data in real time. We empowered them with some training so we can keep up on the data in real time.

Q: Any advice for other District Test Coordinators (DTCs) and Building Test Coordinators (BTCs) in Ohio?

Chris Thompson: Use your network. Feel free to reach out anytime. It is a siloed job, and it's not fun sometimes, but it's better if you have somebody else that you can bounce things off of. Look me up!

Dr. Crystal Aker: I agree. I think that this can be a very lonely position, because this is not something that you go to school for. I think having colleagues, people you can contact, who are doing the same things and using the same products and can offer support is crucial. At least now, we're doing things like assessment conferences in the state to get everyone kind of starting to talk the same language.

Navigating the ever-changing world of assessments can feel isolating, but with TestHound, you're never alone. TestHound provides the tools and support to help testing coordinators in Ohio and beyond navigate these complexities with confidence. From streamlined test setup and administration to comprehensive data tracking and reporting, TestHound empowers educators to focus on what matters most - student success.

Ready to experience the TestHound difference? Schedule a personalized demo today and discover how our comprehensive platform will simplify your assessment processes, improve data accuracy, and save you valuable time.