1

Apr 3 2013 1:47PM

ODE is seeking current or former educators with assessment expertise for the Essential Skills Review Panel. Responsibilities AESRP makes recommendations on: The phasing in of Essential Skills for inclusion in the high school diploma and...

2

Mar 14 2013 9:33AM

A few districts have asked whether the Spanish Computer-Based Read Aloud for the OAKS Math assessments is bilingual. Although students have access to bilingual read-aloud for some test items, the intent is for Spanish read aloud only. Due to bac...

3

Mar 14 2013 9:30AM

What is a performance task? Performance tasks challenge students to apply their knowledge and skills to respond to real-world problems. They can best be described as collections of questions and activities that are coherently connected to a sin...

4

Mar 6 2013 11:35AM

In the summer of 2012, ODE conducted a case study of nine districts currently using work samples as a part of their Essential Skills assessment system. The purpose was to identify various methods and strategies that districts are using in order to sh...

5

Mar 6 2013 11:26AM

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) Pilot test launched February 20, 2013 at 1:00 pm Pacific time. Testing began with grades 7, 8 and 9 in mathematics and grades 7 and 8 in English Language Arts/Literacy, in 337 scientifically selected...

6

Mar 6 2013 11:11AM

The Smarter Balanced Technology Strategy Framework and System Requirements Specifications (http://www.smarterbalanced.org/smarter-balanced-assessments/technology/) provide minimum hardware specifications and basic bandwidth calculations that will all...

7

Feb 27 2013 2:10PM

Will students' Pilot Test scores be available to the public? The Pilot Test is designed to be a test of the items, performance tasks, and testing system—not an opportunity to report on student learning. Therefore, schools participating in the P...

8

Feb 27 2013 2:03PM

In the coming weeks, schools across Oregon will participate in the Pilot Test of the Smarter Balanced assessments in grades 3-11. The Pilot Test will allow Smarter Balanced to evaluate the performance of assessment items and the test delivery system ...

9

Feb 27 2013 11:54AM

Beginning in 2011-12, the OAKS Online Math test has supported a Spanish computer-based read-aloud option for students taking the side-by-side English/Spanish Math test. Please note that the Spanish computer-based read-aloud provides a Spanish-only re...

10

Feb 20 2013 4:42PM

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Pilot Test launched yesterday at 1:00 pm Pacific time. Testing will begin with grades 7, 8, and 9 in mathematics, and grades 7 and 8 in English Language Arts, in 337 scientifically selected schools across t...

11

Feb 13 2013 3:24PM

At this time, neither microphones nor stylus devices have been identified as necessary input devices for the 2014-15 Smarter Balanced assessment. However, Smarter Balanced anticipates integrating manipulative media and interactive data elements for s...

12

Jan 23 2013 12:56PM

The technology planning framework has been updated to clarify the minimum hardware and software requirements that will allow schools and districts to evaluate which of their existing devices will support the administration of next-generation assessme...

13

Dec 12 2012 4:54PM

In the December 6, 2012 edition of the Assessment & Accountability Update, ODE announced that OAKS Online would be offline for scheduled maintenance from 5:00 p.m. on December 17 through 7:00 a.m. on January 1. ODE has since received feedback fro...

14

Dec 12 2012 4:11PM

Smarter Balanced has launched an online tool to help schools check the bandwidth of their network in preparation for the assessment. The bandwidth checker is compatible with Mozilla Firefox on computers with Windows, OS X, or Linux operating systems;...

15

Dec 12 2012 2:56PM

On December 4, Smarter Balanced released a technology planning framework for member states preparing to implement the assessment system in the 2014-15 school year. The framework, developed by Navigation North on behalf of the Consortium, provides min...

16

Dec 6 2012 8:56AM

The TA and Student Interface of OAKS Online will be offline for scheduled maintenance starting at 5:00 pm PT on Monday, December 17, 2012 until 7:00 am PT on January 1, 2013. During this time, the Training Site, TIDE, and the Online Reporting System ...

17

Dec 6 2012 8:54AM

The Smarter Balanced Technology Strategy Framework and System Requirements Specifications provide minimum hardware specifications and basic bandwidth calculations that will allow schools and districts to evaluate which of their existing computers wil...

18

Nov 28 2012 1:42PM

OAKS Online and ELPA testing will remain open on state furlough days, Friday, January 18, 2013 and Friday, April 19, 2013. Contact(s) for this Announcement Regional ESD Support Partners

19

Nov 28 2012 9:54AM

In addition to Test Administration and Security Training, any individual administering OAKS Online through the Braille interface is required to participate in the ODE-provided OAKS Online Braille Interface Training. The OAKS Online Braille Inter...

20

Nov 8 2012 11:04AM

All "banked" assessment tests where a student took and met or exceeded on a high school math, reading, science, or writing test in a prior year have been loaded to Student Centered Staging. This includes students who took and met or exceeded the alte...

21

Nov 2 2012 2:24PM

A new Essential Skills report will be released to the public on January 29, 2013. The report will provide information about students from the 2008-2009 cohort (Class of 2012) and how they met the Essential Skill of Reading requirement. The report wi...

22

Oct 18 2012 3:15PM

A new Essential Skills report will be released to the public January 29, 2013 along with the 2011-12 Dropout and Cohort Graduation Rate reports. A preview of the 2011-12 Essential Skills report will be made available to districts through the Report C...

23

Oct 18 2012 12:26PM

Extended Assessment: Braille and Large Print Ordering Information The window for ordering Oregon’s Extended Assessments in Braille and Large Print is November 18, 2012-January 18, 2013. The ordering form (with additional instructions) can be foun...

24

Oct 10 2012 11:36AM

Today Smarter Balanced released sample items and performance tasks to help teachers, administrators, and policymakers implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and prepare for next-generation assessments. The Smarter assessments are being des...

25

Oct 4 2012 10:37AM

All "banked" assessment tests where a student took and met or exceeded on a high school math, reading, science, or writing test in a prior year will be loaded to Student Centered Staging on November 8, 2012. This includes students who took and met or...

26

Sep 20 2012 12:18PM

The Technology Readiness Tool is designed to support states as they transition to next-generation assessments. Since March 2012, State Readiness Coordinators have been working with districts and schools to collect baseline data on key readiness indi...

27

Jun 14 2012 3:03PM

Oregon’s 2012-2014 Mathematics, Reading & Literature, Science, and Social Sciences Test Specifications and Blueprints have been updated and are now posted on the ODE website at: www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=496. Many more Mathematics s...

28

May 17 2012 2:13PM

Smarter Balanced has developed hardware and operating system specifications for new technology purchases as part of a comprehensive approach to technology guidance. These guidelines provide clear information for schools and districts making new instr...

29

Apr 26 2012 11:47AM

On April 19, 2012, the State Board of Education adopted a reduction in the number of OAKS test opportunities for students in grades 3 - 8 from three to two annual test opportunities starting in 2012-13. This reduction will help districts transition t...

30

Apr 23 2012 12:17PM

In support of the Essential Skills graduation requirement, many districts will offer work samples as an assessment option for their students. As districts build their local assessment systems, they will need to develop or acquire work sample resource...

31

Apr 19 2012 10:26AM

Starting in 2014-15, Oregon will transition to the Smarter Balanced common assessment for accountability purposes. This transition from OAKS to the Smarter Balanced assessment will also have implications for the Essential Skills assessment options. T...

32

Apr 12 2012 2:52PM

The Dynamic Integrated Scoring Calibration System (DISCS) is now available! DISCS is an online scoring guide training tool designed to aid educators in calibrating to the Oregon Official State Scoring Guides for the Essential Skills of Reading, Writi...

33

Apr 12 2012 12:34PM

On Friday, April 13 AIR will add a new tool to the diagnostic tests offered through the OAKS Online Portal that allows users to evaluate whether they have adequate bandwidth for the number of students they plan to test. Users will be able to select a...

34

Apr 12 2012 12:01PM

Memorandum No. 008-2011-12, reporting new information on Essential Skills reporting requirements has been posted to the ODE website at: www.ode.state.or.us/news/announcements/announcement.aspx?ID=8187&TypeID=4. The report is scheduled for public re...

35

Apr 12 2012 11:52AM

ODE’s Assessment office is recruiting Oregon educators to serve a three-year term on the Assessment of Essential Skills Review Panel (AESRP). This panel is responsible for advising ODE on practices and procedures for assessing the Essential Ski...

36

Mar 14 2012 2:58PM

During their March meeting, the State Board of Education adopted the Accuplacer Reading Comprehension assessment as an approved option for students to demonstrate proficiency in the Essential Skill of Reading, with an achievement standard (“cut score...

37

Mar 14 2012 2:51PM

On Tuesday, March 13, Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Castillo released a message to the field announcing that Oregon is the first state in the nation to provide students who use Braille with access to online adaptive testing. Before this ...

38

Mar 14 2012 2:49PM

As the 2011-12 testing window enters full swing, districts should be sure to review key test security requirements with test administrators, including test administrators for the OAKS, ELPA, Writing, and the Extended Assessments. As the Braille Inter...

39

Mar 14 2012 2:40PM

The content standards and achievement standards will continue to be the same in 2012-2013. The 2012-2013 OAKS Science will be based on the content standards adopted in 2009, and the 2012-2013 OAKS Social Sciences will be based on the content standard...

40

Mar 14 2012 2:38PM

On March 8, ODE staff presented the State Board of Education with a proposal to reduce the number of annual test opportunities for students in grades 3 - 8 starting in 2012-13. Based on feedback received from over 2,500 respondents, including Orego...

41

Mar 7 2012 4:37PM

As of March 5, 2012, sixty-nine school districts have reported test improprieties. The table below shows the breakdown of reported improprieties by type, identifying whether the impropriety was initiated by an adult or by a student. Type of ...

42

Feb 29 2012 10:47AM

The need to identify accommodation requests in advance eliminates the resource challenges (including staff and technology) that districts might face when responding to student requests “in the moment.” Districts/Schools should make every attempt to e...

43

Feb 22 2012 12:13PM

As previously announced new for 2011-12, OAKS Online supports a computer-based read-aloud in Spanish for the side-by-side Spanish-English format of OAKS Online Mathematics. This optional computer-based feature is offered in math because OAKS Mathemat...

44

Feb 22 2012 11:59AM

Smarter Balanced will make the common assessments in mathematics and English language arts available beginning in 2014-2015. In previous issues, the Assessment & Accountability Update has addressed recent activities of the SMARTER Balanced Assess...

45

Feb 15 2012 11:37AM

On February 22 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. ODE will host a final training session of Level 2 & Level 3 Training of Trainers for the Essential Skill of Reading - Using Work Samples. Training of trainer sessions on developing local work samples and on ...

46

Feb 15 2012 11:13AM

Oregon is a governing state of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), and will make the common assessments available beginning in 2014-2015. For the past months, the Assessment and Accountability Update have addressed recent activities of...

47

Feb 15 2012 11:11AM

SMARTER Balanced, in collaboration with PARCC, has contracted with Pearson to develop a Technology Readiness Tool to support states' planning as they transition to next-generation assessments to be launched beginning in 2014. This new open source too...

48

Feb 13 2012 2:48PM

ODE currently supports up to 3 annual test opportunities per student in Reading, Math, and Science and 2 opportunities in Social Sciences. Starting in 2014-15, Oregon will begin administering the Common Assessment in Math and English Language Arts de...

49

Feb 8 2012 2:58PM

ODE has added one more session of Level 2 and Level 3 Training of Trainers for the Essential Skill of Reading – Using Work Samples on February 22 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The training session will show local facilitators how to present introductor...

50

Feb 7 2012 2:20PM

The SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) has released draft Item Specifications and Guidelines for review and comment. These item specifications will provide item writers with specific guidance on how to translate the Common Core State Stand...

51

Feb 2 2012 2:13PM

The OAKS Online Test Delivery System, including both operational and practice tests for OAKS, ELPA, and Online Writing, will be offline for maintenance beginning at 6:30 p.m. PT on Friday, February 3. The system will be back online by 7:00 a.m. PT on...

52

Feb 2 2012 1:51PM

Each week, we will address recent activities of the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) of which Oregon is a governing state. Beginning in 2014-2015, SBAC will deliver the common assessment in Mathematics and English Language Arts. Com...

53

Jan 25 2012 5:23PM

Oregon's ESEA Waiver Request has been submitted to the US Department of Education. If the waiver is approved, then the existing AYP reporting and associated school improvement list would no longer be produced. In its place would be a revised report c...

54

Jan 25 2012 12:29PM

Each week, we will address recent activities of the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) of which Oregon is a governing state. Beginning in 2014-2015, SBAC will deliver the common assessment in Mathematics and English Language Arts. At that ...

55

Jan 25 2012 11:00AM

Students who first encounter a reading, writing, or math work sample under the pressure of high school graduation are less likely to be successful. Middle school teachers are eager to use these powerful instructional and formative assessments in the...

56

Jan 18 2012 4:01PM

Opportunities for individuals to be trained to present local workshops on scoring and developing Essential Skills Work Samples will continue through the winter. Each WebEx session, held from 2:00 to 4:00 PST, provides future trainers with informatio...

57

Jan 18 2012 3:55PM

Friday, January 20, 2012 is the last day of Oregon’s Alternate Assessment (Extended Assessment) Braille and/or Large Print order window for Reading, Mathematics, Science, and Writing. To order please complete, sign, and submit the attached order form...

58

Jan 18 2012 3:01PM

The Fourth Quarter Project Report from the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium is available—The quarterly project report for the period ending September 30, 2011 can be found at http://www.smarterbalanced.org/Resources.aspx. The report details the...

59

Jan 11 2012 4:51PM

On Wednesday, January 11, ODE introduced additional test items into the OAKS Online assessments. For those districts with policies allowing for students to take multiple test opportunities, this means that students may now retest. ODE supports up to ...

60

Jan 11 2012 4:30PM

Oregon and colleague states governing the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium will vote on the Content Specifications claims for ELA/literacy next week. ODE is interested in your feedback. ODE’s vote is due on January 18. As you may know, the...

61

Jan 11 2012 4:19PM

The window to order Oregon’s Alternate Assessment (Extended Assessment) in Braille and/or Large Print opens November 10, 2011. To order please complete, sign, and submit the attached order form via email or fax to Bob Disher at Oregon's Textbook an...

62

Jan 11 2012 4:10PM

Each week, we will address recent activities of the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) of which Oregon is a governing state. Beginning in 2014-2015, SBAC will facilitate delivery of the common assessments in Mathematics and English Langua...

63

Jan 5 2012 8:00AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for January 5, 2012 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: 2011-12 Winter Writing Test Win...

64

Jan 4 2012 9:40AM

Stakeholders - including IT Managers, the Assessment Advisory Committee, and the ELPA Content Panel - provided feedback in regard to benefits and risks associated with student use of mobile devices for taking summative assessments like OAKS Online or...

65

Jan 4 2012 9:37AM

On December 1, 2011 ODE presented the draft Best Practices Guide to the State Board of Education for the Board’s consideration. The updated Best Practices Guide will be presented to the Board for formal adoption on January 19, 2012. In response to st...

66

Dec 19 2011 9:25AM

On December 1, 2011 ODE presented the draft Best Practices Guide to the State Board of Education for the Board’s consideration. ODE will bring the draft Best Practices Guide back to the Board for formal adoption on January 19, 2012. In response to st...

67

Dec 15 2011 8:15AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for December 15, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: OAKS Online Scheduled Down Ti...

68

Dec 14 2011 11:53AM

Work is focused on procurement of services from vendors through Requests for Proposals. The RFP for the Item Authoring and Item Pool (RFP 07) application has been released to vendors - Proposals are due Wednesday, January 18. The Consortium is seekin...

69

Dec 7 2011 10:05AM

SBAC Receives Funding to Establish ELL Advisory Committee The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium has been awarded a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to form an English-language learners advisory committee to build research-b...

70

Dec 7 2011 9:41AM

The 2011-12 OAKS Online testing window opened on November 8, 2011. In the first month of testing, school districts have reported a total of twenty-three test improprieties impacting fifty student tests. The table below shows the breakdown of reported...

71

Nov 30 2011 4:52PM

Interim Assessments: With development and procurement activities underway on the summative assessment, SBAC is focusing attention on the design of their interim assessments. As part of a balanced assessment system, interim assessments can provide i...

72

Nov 30 2011 4:43PM

WebEx training sessions which provide local facilitators with the materials and background to conduct local workshops on scoring reading, writing and math Essential Skills worksamples will continue during early December. Scheduled trainings incl...

73

Nov 30 2011 2:43PM

The OAKS Test Delivery System (TDS) will be offline for scheduled maintenance from 11:59 p.m. on Friday, December 18 through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, January 2. During this time, the Training Site, TIDE, and the Online Reporting System will remain avail...

74

Nov 30 2011 2:31PM

As of November 28, 2011 the following number of tests have been started and reported by subject: Math Reading Science Social Sciences Started 17,905 41,474 7,066 205 Reported 14,236 31,163 6,607 191 Contact(...

75

Nov 23 2011 11:33AM

In response to stakeholder feedback, ODE has updated the draft Best Practices Guide to further clarify the appropriate use of OAKS as a summative assessment. The draft guide is scheduled to go to the State Board of Education for review on December 1,...

76

Nov 16 2011 10:37AM

Each week, we will address recent activities of the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) of which Oregon is a governing state. Beginning in 2014-2015, SBAC will deliver the common assessment in Mathematics and English Language Arts. At that ...

77

Nov 16 2011 10:27AM

Only a few opportunities remain for local facilitators to receive Essential Skills WebEx trainings in November and December. Trainings will resume in mid-January. WebEx training sessions for November and December include the following: Nov ...

78

Nov 10 2011 9:00AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for November 10, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Draft Best Practices Guide fo...

79

Nov 9 2011 11:14AM

In response to Senate Bill 801, ODE has recently updated the draft Best Practices Guide to include clarified guidance around retesting students in grades 3 - 8 who have already met or exceeded the achievement standards. The draft guide is scheduled t...

80

Nov 9 2011 10:57AM

With high schools in full implementation of Essential Skill graduation requirements, many educators are interested in opportunities to improve student performance at the middle school level so that those students are well-situated to demonstrate high...

81

Nov 9 2011 10:39AM

Each week, we will address recent activities of the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) of which Oregon is a governing state. Beginning in 2014-2015, SBAC will deliver the common assessment in Mathematics and English Language Arts. At that ...

82

Nov 8 2011 5:38PM

All "banked" assessment tests where a student took and met or exceeded on a high school math, reading, science, or writing test in a prior year have been loaded to Student Centered Staging. This includes students who took and met or exceeded the alte...

83

Nov 3 2011 7:28AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for November 3, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: 2011-12 OAKS Online Test Windo...

84

Oct 26 2011 1:04PM

New for 2011-12, OAKS Online will support a computer-based read-aloud in Spanish for the side-by-side Spanish-English format of OAKS Online Mathematics. This resource is being offered in mathematics due to the large number of students taking math ass...

85

Oct 5 2011 11:43AM

A document responding to frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the assessment of essential skills has been posted on the ODE Assessment of Essential Skills page. The questions and answers have been categorized by Requirements, Assessment Options, an...

86

Sep 21 2011 11:52AM

There is still time to register for the remaining Assessment of Essential Skills WebEx training sessions in September. These sessions are designed to train local presenters to provide training to teachers. Sept 27 Level 2 Intro to Scorin...

87

Sep 21 2011 11:35AM

Official State Scoring Guide trainings sessions will be available in October via WebEx. These training sessions are designed to enable teachers, administrators or others to deliver timely and accurate information on diploma requirements for the Essen...

88

Sep 21 2011 11:26AM

SMARTER Balanced has announced that the Consortium’s revised content specifications for English language arts/literacy are available for review. This draft reflects revisions based on feedback from more than 200 individuals and organizations. Stakeho...

89

Sep 14 2011 9:11AM

The OAKS Portal provides users with access to both a training site for test administrators and practice tests accessible to both test administrators and students. Practice tests are available for OAKS Online Reading, Math, Science, and Social Science...

90

Sep 14 2011 9:07AM

The 2011-12 Test Specifications and Blueprints for OAKS Mathematics, Reading, Science, and Social Sciences are currently available at http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=496. These documents contain sample items, achievement level descriptors ...

91

Sep 2 2011 1:49PM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for September 2, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Required 2011-2012 District Test Coo...

92

Sep 2 2011 12:20PM

WebEx training sessions on assessing the Essential Skills of Reading, Writing and Math will be offered in September. These trainings are targeted to local district/school personnel who would then present the workshops to teachers. Workshops focus o...

93

Sep 2 2011 12:09PM

Most Oregon students entering 12th grade this year will be required to demonstrate proficiency in the Essential Skill of Reading to earn a diploma. For many students, achieving a score of 236 on the OAKS Reading assessment will complete this requirem...

94

Aug 25 2011 11:36AM

New for 2011-12, OAKS Online will support a computer-based read-aloud for OAKS Online Mathematics, Science, and Social Sciences for the general student population. District personnel may preview this optional computer-based read-aloud feature throug...

95

Aug 18 2011 11:02AM

Two sessions on assessing Essential Skills through work samples will be held next week via WebEx to provide local district staff developers with training and materials to conduct workshops. August 23 from 1:00 to 2:00 pm PDT will provide partic...

96

Aug 10 2011 4:08PM

On Wednesday, August 17, from 1-3 PM, the Oregon Department of Education will be holding a WebEx webinar for Districts, about the new OAKS Online Braille Interface. This interface will be available to blind and visually impaired students beginning in...

97

Aug 10 2011 9:14AM

Overview workshops on assessing the Essential Skills of reading, writing and mathematics are available for local districts to use with a variety of audiences. The workshops, which have been updated for 2011-12, provide basic information on the requir...

98

Jul 28 2011 3:26PM

ODE will offer a wide array of WebEx training sessions in 2011-12 designed to train school/district personnel to provide professional development on Essential Skills assessments, particularly the use of work samples and scoring guides. Workshops cove...

99

Jun 23 2011 9:01AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for June 23, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: English Language Learners Validation (Ju...

100

Jun 16 2011 4:00PM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for June 16, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: 2011-12 OAKS Secure Browsers Essential ...

101

Jun 9 2011 9:48AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for June 9, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: State Board Raises Reading Achievement St...

102

Jun 9 2011 9:06AM

In a move to prepare students for the increased rigors of the new Common Core State Standards and the Oregon Diploma, the Oregon State Board of Education recently increased reading achievement standards for grades 3-8, effective for the 2011-12 schoo...

103

Jun 2 2011 11:12AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for June 2, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Third Period Cumulative ADM Validation A...

104

May 26 2011 9:55AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for May 26, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Test Window Closed AYP documents to be p...

105

May 25 2011 3:35PM

OAKS Online testing was completed on Monday, May 23, 2011. Starting on May 24, the OAKS Online Test Administration Application and Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) are no longer available to OAKS users. OAKS Online Reports, the Pract...

106

May 25 2011 3:25PM

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has worked diligently to enhance the OAKS Online testing system for the 2011-12 school year, allowing students who use Braille who previously took the paper-based Braille version of OAKS to access the OAKS Onl...

107

May 19 2011 3:00PM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for May 19, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: OAKS Online Testing Closes May 23; Testin...

108

May 19 2011 11:49AM

To better enable districts to complete testing prior to the close of the OAKS Online test window on Monday, May 23, OAKS Online will be available on Friday, May 20. ODE had previously communicated that OAKS Online would be unavailable for testing on ...

109

May 12 2011 11:43AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for May 12, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: OAKS Online Testing Closes May 23; Testin...

110

May 5 2011 11:17AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for May 5, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: ELPA Scores Available on OAKS Online ELPA...

111

May 3 2011 2:48PM

As the end of the 2010-11 OAKS Testing Window nears, please be aware of the following important information. All students who are enrolled in grade 11 (or in their 3rd year in high school) MUST complete the OAKS reading and mathematics assessmen...

112

Apr 28 2011 11:25AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for April 28, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Spring Writing Window Closes April 28 ...

113

Apr 28 2011 11:11AM

WebEx sessions to train local district personnel to deliver workshops on Reading and Writing Essential Skills and Scoring Guides continue through May 12. To view the remaining training topics and dates go to http://www.ode.state.or.us/wma/teachlearn...

114

Apr 21 2011 11:20AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for April 21, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Winter Writing Scores Monthly DTC WebE...

115

Apr 21 2011 9:51AM

This past year, the State Board of Education voted to raise math achievement standards (learn more at http://www.ode.state.or.us/go/mathachievement). During the math achievement standard setting process, many districts commented that the reading achi...

116

Apr 21 2011 9:46AM

Training opportunities in using work samples to demonstrate proficiency in the Essential Skills will end May 12. WebEx sessions in reading, writing and mathematics are being offered until then. To view the schedule for the remaining sessions, click...

117

Apr 14 2011 3:20PM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for April 14, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Grade 11 Testing Reminder ODE Telephon...

118

Apr 7 2011 11:45AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for April 7, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: New Web Browsers to be Compatible with O...

119

Apr 6 2011 11:37AM

ODE’s Assessment office is recruiting Oregon educators to serve a three-year term on the Assessment of Essential Skills Review Panel (AESRP). This panel is responsible for advising ODE on practices and procedures for assessing the Essential Skills an...

120

Mar 31 2011 1:35PM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for March 31, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Writing Assessment Data Available in St...

121

Mar 30 2011 4:58PM

The PowerPoint presentations and handout materials for the Overview workshops for the Essential Skills of Reading and Writing have all been updated to reflect changes made at the March State Board of Education meetings when additional assessment opti...

122

Mar 30 2011 4:43PM

A variety of WebEx training of trainers sessions on the Essential Skills have been scheduled with a number of new sessions listed for April and May. These sessions provide district and building staff responsible for professional development with stra...

123

Mar 30 2011 3:53PM

The OAKS Braille test window closes Thursday, April 7, 2011. Districts will then have through Monday, April 18, 2011 to return completed OAKS Braille tests for scoring. Remember: tests that are shipped after April 18 will not count toward participati...

124

Mar 17 2011 9:40AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for March 17, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: ELPA January 2011 Test Scores Posted O...

125

Mar 16 2011 2:39PM

ODE presented new recommended reading achievement standards to the State Board of Education at their March 11, 2011 meeting with adoption anticipated in May 2011. Once adopted, the new Reading achievement standards and reading achievement level descr...

126

Mar 16 2011 2:34PM

The Oregon Department of Education is enhancing the OAKS Online test delivery system for the 2011-12 school year to allow students with visual impairments who previously took the paper-based Braille version of OAKS to access OAKS Braille through the ...

127

Mar 16 2011 1:02PM

On Friday, March 11, the State Board of Education adopted several additional options for students to demonstrate proficiency in the Essential Skills. These options are available immediately, and will be updated in the Test Administration Manual durin...

128

Mar 16 2011 12:55PM

OAKS testing will be available on Friday, March 18. This includes a one-day extension to the winter Online Writing test window for Grade 7 and high school. The updated test schedule is posted at http://www.ode.state.or.us/wma/teachlearn/testing/sched...

129

Mar 10 2011 2:32PM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for March 10, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: OAKS Online System Improved Winter Online Writ...

130

Mar 10 2011 2:16PM

The OAKS Braille test window opened yesterday, March 9, 2011. Students will have through Thursday, April 7, 2011 to complete testing. Districts must then return all completed OAKS Braille tests to ODE for scoring by Monday, April 18, 2011. For i...

131

Mar 3 2011 3:40PM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for March 3, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Smarter Assessment WebEx Available to Vi...

132

Mar 2 2011 3:09PM

A complete list of trainings for the Essential Skills of Reading, Writing and Mathematics is available at http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?=2042. This list includes trainings through April 7. Additional trainings will be scheduled in April an...

133

Feb 23 2011 4:10PM

District personnel responsible for delivering staff development on assessing the Essential Skills are invited to attend WebEx training sessions. Each session will provide participants with materials and strategies to deliver effective staff developme...

134

Feb 16 2011 12:35PM

Additional WebEx training sessions have been scheduled for those who were unable to attend previous sessions. These WebEx sessions are intended to train district or regional staff to deliver high-quality in-person training to teachers and other educa...

135

Feb 10 2011 12:10PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for February 10, 2011. You can access this and past issues of the A & A Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: 2010-11 Student Enrollment Numbers Released Introduction to SMARTER Asses...

136

Feb 10 2011 12:01PM

The U.S. Department of Education recently approved the use of the Grade 3 Spanish Reading assessment for accountability purposes for eligible LEP students. Starting on Monday, February 14, 2011, students taking the Grade 3 Spanish Reading assessment ...

137

Feb 4 2011 1:05PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for February 4, 2011. You can access this and past issues of the A & A Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Reading Achievement Standards Update Spelling Resources for Educators ELPA...

138

Feb 4 2011 12:01AM

In January 2011, 38 educators, parents, and community partners from around the state met to examine the reading achievement level descriptors and projected cut scores for each grade necessary to support students reaching proficiency in high school. ...

139

Jan 26 2011 11:55AM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for January 26, 2011. You can access this and past issues of the A & A Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: SMARTER Receives $15.8 Million Supplemental Budget Reading Achievement Stan...

140

Jan 26 2011 11:18AM

ODE has received approval from the US Department of Education for the native language Spanish Reading assessment to be used for the purpose of AYP Accountability for eligible students enrolled in Grade 3. To determine a student’s eligibility, please ...

141

Nov 9 2010 11:18AM

ODE is seeking qualified participants for Reading Achievement Standards Setting. This January, ODE staff will work with stakeholders from around the state to review Oregon’s Reading Achievement Standards for Grades 3-8 and High School in preparation ...

142

Oct 28 2010 4:59PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for October 28, 2010. You can access this and past issues of the A & A Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Math Achievement Standards Approved 2010-11 Test Records in Staging Readin...

143

Oct 28 2010 4:49PM

Web-Ex training sessions on Using the Reading Scoring Guide and Developing Reading Work Samples will be repeated in November for those who missed the October dates. The purpose of these training sessions is to provide high school TOSA’s, Instruc...

144

Oct 21 2010 11:04AM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for October 21, 2010. You can access this and past issues of the A & A Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Math Problem Solving Scoring Guide Volunteers Needed 2010-11 Test Records in ...

145

Oct 21 2010 10:32AM

To order Braille tests for the 2010-11 Writing and Multiple Choice Assessments, please use the Braille Order Form at http://www.ode.state.or.us/wma/teachlearn/testing/admin/braille-order-form-2010-11.doc . Vision specialists should communicate with t...

146

Oct 7 2010 2:42PM

Participation, Performance, Non-Linked Trend, and Strand/Trait Reports within the Assessment Group Reports application have been updated with 2009-10 data on the secure district web site (https://district.ode.state.or.us/apps/login/) as of September ...

147

Oct 7 2010 2:23PM

The Spanish Reading assessment will be available in 2010-2011 for eligible students enrolled in Grade 3. The testing window is October 13, 2010 to May 19, 2011. Students taking the Spanish Reading Assessment have a total of three opportunities taken ...

148

Sep 23 2010 10:15AM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for September 23, 2010. You can access this and past issues of the A & A Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Back to School Resources for Diploma Implementation OAKS Practice Tests ...

149

Sep 22 2010 9:29AM

The Office of Assessment and Information Services at ODE will be offering a number of “trainer of trainer” sessions via WebEx this school year. The purpose of these training sessions is to provide high school TOSA’s, Instructional Coaches and Literac...

150

Sep 16 2010 9:15AM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for September 16, 2010. You can access this and past issues of the A & A Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Oregon Part of Consortium Awarded RTTT Grant Report Card Validation Time...

151

Sep 15 2010 5:22PM

Two workshops will be delivered via WebEx to train High School Instructional or Literacy Coaches on Reading Work Samples, one option for students to demonstrate proficiency in the Essential Skill of Reading. Students in the Class of 2012, this year’s...

152

Aug 4 2010 3:44PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for August 4, 2010. You can access this and past issues of the AA Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: New Training Resources for Assessment of Essential Skills Toolkit Available New R...

153

Aug 4 2010 11:06AM

Several new resources are now available to assist districts in assessing the Essential Skill of Reading. The items include the following: A video presentation explaining the uses of the Reading Scoring Guide for instruction, formative assessment ...

154

Jul 1 2010 1:06PM

The testing schedule for the 2010-11 school year has been posted at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/wma/teachlearn/testing/schedules/testschd_1011_final.pdf Students in grades 3-8 and high school are required to be tested at eligible grades in th...

155

May 20 2010 3:52PM

High school Literacy Coaches or Instructional Coaches who are interested in learning to train teachers to use the Official Reading Scoring Guide are invited to attend a WebEx session on Thursday, May 27 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Participant...

156

Apr 20 2010 3:33PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for April 20, 2010. You can access this and past issues of the AA Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Third Period Cumulative ADM Third Period Cumulative ADM WebEx WebEx Meetings with ...

157

Apr 14 2010 3:57PM

ODE would like to remind districts that the 3rd grade Spanish reading assessment is available through Friday, April 23. Grade 3 ELL students who have taken the OAKS English Reading assessment may also take the OAKS Spanish Reading assessment ...

158

Apr 14 2010 3:54PM

The 3rd grade Spanish reading test is a native-language test which presents passages and items only in Spanish. This is not a Spanish-English side-by-side assessment. To ensure students are taking the preferred version of the test, TAs should...

159

Mar 31 2010 4:25PM

The test window for the Grade 3 Spanish Reading test opened Monday, March 29. The test window will be open through Friday, April 23. Grade 3 ELL students who have taken the OAKS English Reading assessment may also take the OAKS Spanish Readin...

160

Mar 29 2010 4:45PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Winter Wrap Up Update for March 29, 2010. Welcome back from Spring Break! To help you prepare for the last few months of the school year, we have compiled information on a range of issues addressed in As...

161

Mar 17 2010 2:15PM

Starting on Monday, March 29, ODE will offer a Grade 3 Spanish Reading test. Grade 3 ELL students who have taken the OAKS English Reading assessment may also take the OAKS Spanish Reading assessment as one of their three online Reading opportuni...

162

Jan 20 2010 4:46PM

Starting this week, reading passages will no longer be printable in the OAKS practice test. In the operational OAKS Online Reading test, student requests to print a reading passage are sent to the test administrator for approval. Because the practice...

163

Nov 10 2009 3:47PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for November 10, 2009. You can access this and past issues of the AA Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: School and District Report Cards Upcoming ODE WebEx Meetings Reminder: Se...

164

Nov 10 2009 3:29PM

ODE does not require students to complete a reading work sample. However, it should be made available to students as an option for demonstrating their proficiency in the essential skill of reading for purposes of the high school diploma. This options...

165

Nov 5 2009 2:52PM

This spring, ODE will offer a new online Grade 3 Spanish Reading assessment through the OAKS Online System. The testing window for this new assessment will be from Monday, March 29 through Friday, April 23. Grade 3 ELL students may take the OAKS Span...

166

Oct 14 2009 1:02PM

To help students, teachers, administrators, and parents learn what the expectations are for reading work samples used to demonstrate proficiency in the Essential Skill of Reading, the ODE website has “anchor” papers available that show varying levels...

167

Oct 12 2009 10:25AM

OAKS Online test records for 2009-2010 are currently available for download and editing in Student Centered Staging. New records are transferred to ODE daily and will typically be available in Staging two days after the tests are completed. Be s...

168

Sep 17 2009 10:29AM

To help students, teachers, administrators, and parents learn what the expectations are for reading work samples used to demonstrate proficiency in the Essential Skill of Reading, ODE has developed a new website containing sample student work. T...

169

Aug 28 2009 4:38PM

SALEM – The Oregon State Board of Education adjusted the timeline for requiring demonstration of proficiency in the Essential Skill of Writing until the graduating class of 2013 (students in 9th grade in 2009-10). The State Board also voted to phase in...

170

Aug 12 2009 3:21PM

ODE will be presenting up-to-date information on the application of Work Samples for the Essential Skills Graduation Requirement and the Local Performance Assessment Requirement through two Web-ex seminars. Interested participants can register to att...

171

Aug 12 2009 3:20PM

Educators around the state attended in-depth scoring and training of trainer meetings this summer in preparation for delivering regional or district professional development on the new high school reading scoring guide. The purpose of the scorin...

172

May 20 2009 4:00PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for May 20, 2009. In This Issue OAKS Online Test Window Closes Friday OAKS Extended Assessment Window Closes New Communications Coordinator Video Training: Adequate Yearly Progress & Other Re...

173

May 20 2009 3:34PM

Reminder: The OAKS Online Test Window closes on Friday, May 22. Starting on May 23, the OAKS Online test sites and User Management System (UMS) will no longer be available to OAKS users. The Practice Test and Training sites will remain availabl...

174

May 6 2009 5:45PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for May 6, 2009. This issue contains important information about High School Completers and Early Leavers Collections, Reading Local Performance Assessment Field Test Underway, Practice Reading Per...

175

May 6 2009 5:20PM

High schools across the state volunteered to field test the new Reading Local Performance Assessment. Students will read a selected passage, make margin notes, and respond to a series of questions designed to align with the three traits on the Readi...

176

May 4 2009 12:43PM

Five practice Reading Performance Assessments have been posted on the ODE website for download and use by high school teachers and students. The purpose of the Reading Performance Assessment is to provide an alternate assessment for students who...

177

Apr 9 2009 9:45AM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for April 8, 2009. This issue contains important information about the Reading Performance Field Test, reminders about the end of the OAKS Paper-Pencil, Aprenda, and ELPA testing windows, and acces...

178

Apr 8 2009 12:00PM

Reminder: the Aprenda testing window closes April 17, 2009. All materials must be shipped no later than April 24, 2009. Contact(s) for this Announcement Regional Assessment Support Partners

179

Apr 8 2009 12:00PM

ODE is looking for high school classes to take a reading performance field test between April 27 and May 8. This performance assessment is designed for students to demonstrate proficiency in the essential skill of reading for the purposes of future d...

180

Mar 30 2009 12:53PM

Volunteers are needed to field test a reading performance assessment for high school students. The test is designed to allow students to demonstrate proficiency in the essential skill of reading which is required for a diploma beginning with the clas...

181

Feb 18 2009 1:30PM

As an assessment tool, scoring guides provide specific criteria to describe a range of possible student responses and a consistent set of guidelines to rate student work. Scoring guides can be used to provide: feedback about student progress towar...

182

Feb 11 2009 5:50PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for February 11, 2009. This issue contains important information about the OAKS Online User Management System (UMS), Field Test items in OAKS Online, the upcoming Grade 3 Scientific Inquiry webinar...

183

Feb 11 2009 4:20PM

Draft 2 of the scoring guide for local reading performance assessment is available on the Oregon Department of Education website. This scoring guide is designed for use with high school students who need to demonstrate proficiency in the Essential Sk...

184

Dec 2 2008 2:37PM

Background: A steering committee of 6 high school English teachers, ODE’s Language Arts Curriculum Specialist Julie Anderson, and ODE’s Language Arts Assessment Specialist Ken Hermens is being facilitated by Barbara Wolfe. The committee’s task ...

185

Nov 19 2008 8:40AM

Test records from completed OAKS Online tests will be available in Student Centered Staging on Friday, November 21. Contact(s) for this Announcement Regional Assessment Support Partners

186

Nov 19 2008 8:38AM

The Paper/Pencil Multiple Choice order window opens December 5! There are multiple order windows open for Paper/Pencil Multiple Choice, including Braille and Large print tests and Aprenda. Remember that Multiple Choice paper and pencil material...

187

Oct 29 2008 12:33PM

The Reading Scoring Guide Development Steering Committee met on Oct. 24, 2008 to continue discussion and begin to make recommendations to be sent forward to the Assessment of Essential Skills Review Panel (AESRP). General discussion included iss...

188

Oct 9 2008 9:18AM

Here is the Assessment and Accountability Update for October 8, 2008. This issue contains important information about the OAKS Online Testing, Final Report Cards, Mathematics Assessment of New Content Standards, ELPA Improvements, Local Assessment ...

189

Oct 8 2008 3:37PM

A committee of Oregon English Language Arts educators has been appointed to guide the work around development of a local assessment option for reading. Students in the Class of 2012, this year’s 9th graders, will have to pass assessments in read...

190

Sep 3 2008 1:47PM

Students in grades 3-8 and 10 are required to be tested at eligible grades in the subjects of Reading, Mathematics, Science and Writing, with retesting opportunities available for grades 11 and 12. Many of these tests are available in translated for...

191

Jul 30 2008 2:30PM

Beginning with the graduating class of 2012, students will be required to demonstrate proficiency in certain Essential Skills that are deemed critical for future success before they are awarded the diploma. Essential Skills are process skills that ca...

192

Jul 10 2008 9:05AM

Please be sure to carefully review all Reading, Math, Science and ELPA records to verify that all test records have correctly loaded and are properly coded. Contact(s) for this Announcement Regional Assessment Support Partners

193

Jul 10 2008 8:53AM

The 2008-09 Administration Manual will be posted to the ODE website on August 1. District Test Coordinators are required to review and be familiar with this manual. ODE will not be printing Administration Manuals for districts, so District Test Coo...

194

Jun 18 2008 1:17PM

The testing schedule for the 2008-09 school year has been posted to http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/testing/oaks/testschd_0809_final.pdf .

195

Jun 18 2008 1:15PM

OAKS Online high school assessments in mathematics and reading - plus the writing performance assessment -- will have an additional purpose next year. Each of these assessments will be available for 9th graders ready to see if they can yet demonstra...

196

May 16 2008 2:54PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for May 14, 2008. This weeks topics include a PSAT/NMSQT Update, OAKS Online/TESA Roster Reports, Pre-Preliminary AYP, Testing Deadlines, Spring Student Membership, Upcoming AYP V-Tel, Alternate Standa...

197

May 7 2008 2:17PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for May 7, 2008. This edition contains information about the updated documents on the web site, OAKS Online/TESA reports, OAKS Online/TESA rescores, ELPA, Winter Writing, and Extended Assessment record...

198

May 7 2008 2:00PM

The U.S. Department of Education, under rules implementing NCLB, now requires that ODE report the accommodations that students with disabilities receive. Effective May 15, 2008, Student Centered Staging will allow the upload/download of the Accommod...

199

May 7 2008 12:39PM

Due to high testing volumes there has been some delay in the transfer of student test scores to the OAKS Online Reports Module. Test scores should appear in the OAKS Online Reports Module no later than four hours after a test is completed. This delay...

200

May 5 2008 9:51AM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update - Retrospective Edition. This edition contains important reminders and key dates from news published during the past few months.