1

Oct 4 2013 10:19AM

In the spring (mid-March to early June) of 2014, Smarter Balanced will conduct the Field Test of its innovative next-generation assessments. Schools in Oregon have the opportunity to participate in and experience an assessment that is closely aligned...

2

Oct 2 2013 8:32AM

ODE has received inquiries from districts regarding whether Smarter plans to require use of a stylus when administering the Smarter Mathematics Assessment. While Smarter is investigating the use of a stylus for future administrations of the Smarter M...

3

Sep 19 2013 8:39AM

In the spring (mid-March to early June) of 2014, Smarter Balanced will conduct the Field Test of its innovative next-generation assessments. Schools in Oregon have the opportunity to participate in and experience an assessment that is closely aligned...

4

Sep 11 2013 5:05PM

As districts prepare to provide school test coordinators and test administrators with test administration and security training for 2013-14, ODE has released a 2012-13 Test Impropriety Trends Report identifying trends in reported test improprieties. ...

5

Sep 11 2013 4:30PM

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) has released a set of sample assessment items and performance tasks in English language arts/literacy and mathematics. The sample items and tasks provide an advance look at the types of questions student...

6

Aug 8 2013 2:53PM

Bryan Toller is the new Mathematics Assessment Specialist for the Oregon Department of Education. He brings with him thirteen years of classroom teaching experience, including six years at Southridge High School in the Beaverton School District and s...

7

May 22 2013 9:48AM

Oregon Department of Education recently convened a workgroup of 18 education stakeholders to review all assessment options and identify the assessment that will best meet the needs of our students, our schools, and our state. The workgroup's unanimou...

8

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...

9

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...

10

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...

11

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...

12

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...

13

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...

14

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 ...

15

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...

16

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...

17

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...

18

Feb 6 2013 5:20PM

The revised Smarter Balanced Initial Achievement Level Descriptors (ALDs) for both Math and English language arts/literacy, which include the draft college content-readiness definition and policy framework, are now posted for review. ALDs descri...

19

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...

20

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...

21

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;...

22

Dec 12 2012 3:57PM

On September 7 and November 15, Student Achievement Partners’ Jason Zimba and Smarter Balanced Director of Mathematics Shelbi Cole presented an informational webinar about the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) to the Consortium. The...

23

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...

24

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 ...

25

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...

26

Nov 28 2012 2:00PM

The Consortium released draft initial achievement level descriptors (ALDs) for feedback and review through January 15, 2013. The initial ALDs describe levels of student performance in English language arts/literacy and mathematics on the Smarter Bala...

27

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

28

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...

29

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...

30

Oct 18 2012 3:08PM

On September 7, Student Achievement Partners’ Jason Zimba and Smarter Balanced Director of Mathematics Shelbi Cole presented an informational webinar about the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) to the Consortium. The webinar provide...

31

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...

32

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...

33

Oct 4 2012 2:52PM

Educators and experts will help draft achievement level descriptors (ALDs) during a workshop October 1-5 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Smarter Balanced work group members, grade level and content experts, K-12 teachers, and higher education faculty will par...

34

Oct 4 2012 2:46PM

Sample Smarter Balanced English Language Arts/Literacy and Math Items and Performance Tasks will be released to the public on October 9, 2012. The samples illustrate the rigor and complexity of the ELA/Literacy and Math items and performance tasks s...

35

Oct 4 2012 1:40PM

On September 7, Student Achievement Partners’ Jason Zimba and Smarter Balanced Director of Mathematics Shelbi Cole presented an informational webinar about the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) to the Consortium. The webinar provide...

36

Oct 4 2012 1:35PM

Welcome Back! The Office of Assessment and Information Systems (OAIS) have developed new Assessment Updates for the 2012-2013 school year. These one page handouts are available for English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Sciences (ELPA will ...

37

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...

38

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...

39

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...

40

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...

41

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...

42

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...

43

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...

44

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 ...

45

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...

46

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...

47

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 ...

48

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...

49

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...

50

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...

51

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 ...

52

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...

53

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...

54

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...

55

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...

56

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...

57

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...

58

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...

59

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...

60

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 ...

61

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...

62

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...

63

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 ...

64

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...

65

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...

66

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...

67

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...

68

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...

69

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...

70

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...

71

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...

72

Dec 14 2011 11:51AM

As stated by SBAC, this draft reflects revisions based on feedback from more than 200 individuals and organizations. Once finalized, the content specifications for mathematics and ELA/literacy will serve as the basis for the SMARTER Balanced system o...

73

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...

74

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...

75

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...

76

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...

77

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...

78

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(...

79

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,...

80

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 ...

81

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 ...

82

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...

83

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...

84

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...

85

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 ...

86

Nov 9 2011 10:36AM

Ongoing review of documents and frequent communications help keep mathematics educators informed and confident of the quality of the upcoming SMARTER Balanced Assessment. What we know at this time: Oregon has adopted the Common Core State S...

87

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...

88

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...

89

Oct 6 2011 10:06AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for October 6, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Out-of-District Assessment Scor...

90

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...

91

Sep 29 2011 8:56AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for September 29, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: First Period Cumulative ADM ...

92

Sep 28 2011 11:26AM

The OAKS Online assessments for mathematics and science include online calculators. The calculator may be selected by clicking the button at the bottom left of the screen in each item. Grades 3-5 have a four-function calculator; grades 6-8, and high ...

93

Sep 22 2011 10:55AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for September 22, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Reminder - Regional DTC Trai...

94

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...

95

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...

96

Sep 14 2011 9:19AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for September 15, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Preview of Preliminary Schoo...

97

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...

98

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 ...

99

Sep 9 2011 11:51AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for September 8, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Reminder - Regional DTC Trainings Re...

100

Sep 8 2011 1:56PM

The Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics Professional Development Cadre has posted the 2011-2012 schedule of training opportunities to http://octm.org/pdc.html. In particular, the Dates and Locations of Upcoming PDC Events link lists opportunit...

101

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...

102

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...

103

Aug 31 2011 8:34AM

The SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) released draft content specifications in Mathematics for public comment and review. Based on the Common Core State Standards, the content specifications provide a framework for the development of the S...

104

Aug 25 2011 11:47AM

The Assessment & Accountability Update for August 25, 2011 is now available. You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Policy Contacts in Office of As...

105

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...

106

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...

107

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...

108

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...

109

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...

110

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...

111

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 ...

112

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...

113

Jun 9 2011 9:03AM

May 19, 2011, the Oregon State Board of Education adopted the 2011-12 Official Scoring Guide for Mathematics Problem Solving and the 2011-12 Scientific Inquiry and Engineering Design Scoring Guides. The new scoring guides are on the web at http://www...

114

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...

115

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...

116

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...

117

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...

118

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 ...

119

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...

120

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...

121

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...

122

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 ...

123

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...

124

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...

125

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...

126

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...

127

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...

128

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...

129

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...

130

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...

131

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...

132

Mar 30 2011 3:04PM

A set of workshop materials is available on the ODE website at http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=2666 for use in presenting information about the Essential Skill of Mathematics to a variety of audiences. The materials, designed for a 3...

133

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...

134

Mar 16 2011 2:37PM

The mathematics and science scoring guides have been recently aligned to the Oregon content standards. Content standards for Science were adopted by the State Board in 2009, while Mathematics standards were adopted 2007 for grades K-8 2009 for high s...

135

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 ...

136

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...

137

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...

138

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...

139

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...

140

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...

141

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...

142

Mar 2 2011 2:58PM

The paper-pencil versions of the Mathematics Sample Tests have been posted on the ODE website and can be accessed at http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=441. The document that provides mathematics terms translated into Spanish has also be...

143

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...

144

Feb 16 2011 12:37PM

Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics is offering two training sessions on using the newly revised draft of the Math Scoring Guide. Student papers will be available to score and participants are encouraged to bring student problem-solving work as...

145

Feb 4 2011 12:13PM

Side-by-side Spanish translations for the OAKS Online Math, Science, and Social Sciences tests are available for ELL students. In addition, the Grade 3 OAKS Online Reading test is available in Spanish as a native language assessment for eligible ELL ...

146

Jan 13 2011 2:00PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for January 13, 2011. You can access this and past issues of the A & A Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Essential Skill Assessment Workshops Available New Examples Added to Essent...

147

Jan 13 2011 1:52PM

In October 2010 the State Board adopted revised mathematics achievement standards effective for the 2010-11 school year for both the OAKS Online Assessments and for the OAKS Extended Assessments.    The 2010-11 mathematics achievement standards f...

148

Jan 6 2011 1:39PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for January 6, 2011. You can access this and past issues of the A & A Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Numbered Memo Released for Math Standards Class Size Data Collection Opens ...

149

Dec 30 2010 11:00AM

TO: School District and ESD Superintendents FROM: Doug Kosty, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Assessment and Information Services RE: 2010-11 Mathematics Achievement Standards (i.e. Cut Scores) In October 2010 the State Board ad...

150

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...

151

Oct 28 2010 4:50PM

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 voted today to increase math achievement standards (cut scores) for grades 3-8, effective for th...

152

Oct 21 2010 12:31PM

The 3-8 and High School Mathematics Test Specifications for 2010-11 are available at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=496. The Test Specifications include information helpful to both assessment coordinators and classroom teachers, inc...

153

Oct 21 2010 12:23PM

ODE is asking for teachers to volunteer to help ODE collect work sample tasks, develop anchor papers, and attend a follow-up workshop for the newly revised Math Problem Solving Scoring Guide. ODE will select 14 teachers who volunteer to: Pa...

154

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 ...

155

Oct 21 2010 10:52AM

On Tuesday, October 26, 2010, from 3:00 - 4:00pm, the Oregon Department of Education will be hosting a WebEx presentation regarding the proposed mathematics achievement standards (cut scores). If you would like to join the meeting, please: Go...

156

Oct 14 2010 2:47PM

Recently recommended changes to Oregon’s mathematics achievement standards (cut scores) will be presented to the State Board of Education for approval on October 28. The following informational materials have been posted on the ODE website: ...

157

Oct 7 2010 2:47PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for October 7, 2010. You can access this and past issues of the A & A Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: School & District Report Cards Results Released 2010-11 Test Records in Stag...

158

Oct 7 2010 2:45PM

For the 2010-11 school year, the OAKS Math tests will include machine-scored graphic response items operationally; these items will count toward a student’s score. The OAKS Science tests will continue to include machine-scored graphic response items ...

159

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 ...

160

Oct 7 2010 2:41PM

We have recently received several questions asking for clarification regarding how potential changes to achievement standards (cut scores) would impact Essential Skills and AYP requirements for students. Using the proposed changes to the math cut sco...

161

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 ...

162

Sep 22 2010 9:33AM

ODE will assess the 2007/2009 math content standards in 2010-11. Teachers should teach the entire breadth of the 2007/2009 math content standards. There will be a small amount of the 2007/2009 content standards for which ODE will not hold school...

163

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...

164

Sep 14 2010 8:40AM

During the October 2010 meeting of the Oregon State Board of Education, Board members will vote on whether or not to adopt the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts and Mathematics to replace Oregon’s current standards in these su...

165

Sep 2 2010 10:58AM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for September 1, 2010. You can access this and past issues of the A & A Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: September DTC WebEx Rescheduled Online Writing Assessment Features Spell Ch...

166

Sep 2 2010 10:55AM

The recommendation and review of changes to Oregon's mathematics achievement standards (cut scores) will have an immediate impact on this year's OAKS math tests. Students who take the OAKS math test between October 13 and October 29 will receive...

167

Aug 25 2010 5:13PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for August 25, 2010. You can access this and past issues of the A & A Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: Final AYP Release To Be Delayed New Ordering Process for Paper-Based Writin...

168

Aug 25 2010 5:07PM

In August, a panel of educators, parents, and community members was assembled to examine the OAKS achievement standards for mathematics in light of the recently adopted math content standards. OAKS math tests will only contain test items from the new...

169

Aug 13 2010 3:56PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for August 11, 2010. You can access this and past issues of the A & A Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: New Math Achievement Standards in Progress Important 2010 PSAT/NMSQT Dates ...

170

Aug 13 2010 3:20PM

Nearly 50 Oregon educators, parents, and business representatives met with Oregon Department of Education staff August 9-11 to look at math tests. Their charge was to make recommendations to the State Board of Education for new mathematics achie...

171

Jul 22 2010 3:33PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for July 21, 2010. You can access this and past issues of the AA Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: COSA/EESC Oregon Summer Assessment Institute Resources & Deadlines for the PSAT/NM...

172

Jul 22 2010 3:11PM

ODE (Office of Student Learning and Partnerships) is currently in the process of recruiting panel members for an upcoming opportunity in support of our Extended Assessment development efforts: Math Extended Assessment Standard Setting Panel sche...

173

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...

174

May 20 2010 3:24PM

ODE is seeking qualified participants for this summer’s Mathematics Achievement Standards Setting. This August, ODE staff will work with stakeholders from around the stated to review Oregon’s Math Achievement Standards for Grades 3-8 and High Scho...

175

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...

176

Mar 10 2010 2:16PM

As ODE communicated in February, the Oregon Accommodations Panel has approved the reading of math symbols and numbers aloud during the math read-aloud accommodation. When accommodations are adopted by the Oregon Accommodations Panel, they go ...

177

Feb 19 2010 8:17AM

In January, the Oregon Accommodations Panel adopted new guidance relating to the Math Read-Aloud Accommodation. TAs may now read numerals and symbols as described in the guidance posted on the ODE website . The training slides produced for this ...

178

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...

179

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...

180

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...

181

Jul 21 2009 10:05AM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for July 21, 2009. You can access this and past issues of the AA Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: AYP Substantive Appeals Due August 21 Change to Reporting Timeline for First...

182

Jul 21 2009 9:53AM

In June 2009, the State Board adopted new Mathematics Content Standards for High School. The new high school standards are closely aligned to the 2002 standards. These standards will be assessed on the same timeline as the 2007 Math Content Standards...

183

Jun 10 2009 2:51PM

This is the Assessment & Accountability Update for June 10, 2009. In This Issue: 2009 Regional District Test Coordinator Trainings Probability Curve WebEx Survey Results Show Most Students Ready for 2007 Mathematics Content Standards ...

184

Jun 10 2009 1:00PM

We would like to thank everyone who participated in our recent survey regarding district instruction of the 2007 3rd - 8th grade math standards. We were very pleased with the number of respondents and with the quality and thoughtfulness of your commen...

185

Jun 5 2009 11:58AM

Based on feedback received this spring on the implementation timeline for the assessment of the new 2007 Grade 3-8 mathematics content standards, the Oregon Department of Education is making the following changes to the timeline: Operational testing...

186

Jun 5 2009 8:26AM

This summer and fall, an opportunity is available for up to 28 experienced mathematics item writers. Selected writers would need to attend three writing sessions: July 20-22, July 29-31, and September 25 in Salem. In addition, writers would do remote i...

187

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...

188

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...

189

May 13 2009 9:00AM

District Test Coordinators have been asked to answer the following question to help ODE ensure that valid field testing of items can commence in 2009-2010, which cover the new content standards (adopted 2007): In 2009-10, will your district requ...

190

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...

191

Feb 18 2009 1:30PM

Math items found in the OAKS online assessments are based on the 2002 content standards. Recently, ODE added field test items to the pool of operational questions that students see while taking the Math online assessment. This year’s field test ite...

192

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

193

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...

194

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 ...

195

Oct 8 2008 3:34PM

The timeline for implementing the assessment of the new 2007 Grade 3-8 Mathematics Content Standards will allow for continuous fair, valid, and reliable assessment of student learning during the transition from the 2002 standards to the 2007 standard...

196

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...

197

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...

198

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

199

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...

200

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 .