OSDE Testing Updates

Dear Superintendents, Principals, and District Test Coordinators,

Spring testing is right around the corner. The Office of Accountability and Assessments wants to remind you of several updates regarding testing as well as to clarify some of the new changes.

Grade 3 Reading Test

Due to the implementation of the new Reading Sufficiency Act (RSA), the testing window has been abbreviated for the grade 3 Reading test. All students should test between April 10-23, including all makeups. This test is administered in a separate test book, and districts are asked to ship them to CTB immediately after the window ends on April 23rd for scoring. CTB will be posting Student Roster Reports on their Web site for grade 3 Reading tests as they are processed. All districts should have their Reading scores posted by May 9, 2014.

Grades 4-5 Math and Reading Answer Documents

There are no embedded items being piloted this year for Math and Reading by CTB. Therefore, all students are taking the same form for these assessments, and the form number has been removed from the Math and Reading answer documents. For grade 5 Science and Social Studies though, the form number on the front of students’ test books will need to be bubbled on the Science and Social Studies answer documents.

Middle School Math Students taking an EOI Math Test

Students who have been uploaded into a middle school math test but are taking a Math EOI may either be marked with the Not Tested Code of “Other” to remove their test record from being processed, or they may remain in the session without a Not Testing Code indicated. For the latter, the Accountability Office will run a match between the two records and suppress the middle school math record as long as the State Testing IDs match between the two test records.

Grades 5 Social Studies and Grade 8 U.S. History Tests

The Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies will be assessed for the first time this spring for Grade 5 Social Studies and Grade 8 U.S. History. Standard setting for these new tests will occur in June with scores delayed until July. Raw scores for these subjects should not be used to determine proficiency on these tests. These assessments will be a part of the A-F Report Card for the 2013-2014 school year.

Grade 7 Geography: Eastern Hemisphere

A sampling of schools have been chosen for their grade 7 students to take part in Item Tryouts for Geography. This tryout is being handled online by CTB during the regular Spring testing window of April 10-May 7. Schools whose grade 7 students have been chosen for this sample will not take part in the online Math, Reading, or Writing Item Tryouts through Measured Progress.

EOI ACE U.S. History Test

The OCCT ACE U.S. History test will fully assess the depth and rigor of the new Oklahoma Academic Standards for U.S. History for the first time in 2013-2014. Students testing in Winter/Trimester and Spring will receive only an immediate raw score.  Standard setting for this test will occur in June with scores delayed until July.  A raw score in this subject should not be used to determine proficiency on this test. This assessment will be a part of the A-F Report Card calculation for the 2013-2014 school year. It is recommended that OCCT 2nd Time Testers participate in the Optional Online Retest Window March 31-April 11. This test will be based on the content of the 2012-2013 assessment and will yield immediate raw scores and performance levels.

OMAAP Tests

Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, the OMAAP is not an assessment option for grades 3-8, EOI first time testers, or EOI 2nd Time Testers who do not have a previous OMAAP score. EOI students retaking an OMAAP test MUST have 2nd Time Tester and IEP indicated in their student record and have a previous OMAAP score that can be verified. Students with disabilities who were previously eligible for alternate assessments based on modified academic achievement standards will be included in either the OCCT general assessment based on grade-level academic achievement standards or on the OAAP portfolio as indicated in their IEP.

EOI Mastery Demonstrated

In May of 2013, the Oklahoma Legislature passed Senate Bill 559, which provides an exemption from certain EOI exams by demonstrating mastery over the subject through the means of an alternate exam.  Students who score ten percent (10%) above the cut scores approved by the State Board of Education for the American College Testing Program (ACT), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), ACT Plan or Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) alternate tests shall be deemed to have satisfactorily demonstrated mastery of state academic content standards in the subject areas for which alternative tests have been approved and shall be exempt from taking the end-of-instruction criterion-referenced tests in the subject areas of Algebra II, English III, Geometry or U. S. History.

Students who have a score that is equal to or above the cut scores approved by the State Board of Education for the Advanced Placement course exams, ACT WorkKeys job skills assessment, College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) alternate test shall be deemed to have satisfactorily demonstrated mastery of state academic content standards in the subject areas for which alternate tests have been approved and shall be exempt from taking the end-of-instruction criterion-referenced tests in the subject areas of Algebra II, English III, Geometry, or U.S. History.

A new application was created and released on March 10, 2014, to allow districts to submit their requests for exemptions. This new application is only accessible through the Single Sign-On system and is in the same location as the new Testing Status Application. In order to apply an approved exemption, students must currently be enrolled in the course and need to be uploaded into a test session. The district should not mark a Not Tested Code. Instead, when the state sends CTB a list of approved exemptions, the exemption will be applied to the existing test record. For the 48 Hour Reports, students will initially show up as a Did Not Attempt (DNA). By the Two Week Student Roster Reports, the exempted status should be reflected on the reports. For final reporting, a student label and a Parent/Student Report will be produced showing the Mastery Demonstrated status.

Calculator Clarification:

Grades 6-8: Math Item Tryouts: A calculator is allowed on the grades 6-8 online Item Tryouts through Measured Progress if your school was chosen for a Calculator Allowed section. An online calculator is embedded in the testing client, or students may bring an approved handheld calculator to use during the item tryout section. Please note: Calculators are not allowed on CTB’s operational tests unless it is an approved accommodation.

EOI:  Students testing in Algebra I and Geometry next year will be allowed to use graphing calculators. Therefore, the use of graphing calculators will be allowed on this year’s operational tests where new items are being piloted as well as on the Item Tryout section.

• Algebra I:  Any operational items that could be impacted by a graphing calculator have been placed in the first section of the test and only a scientific calculator will be allowed on that section.  Section 2 will allow both calculators which will be available in the testing client.  Students may bring in an appropriate hand held calculator as well, as long as it is in the correct mode and has been cleared as the calculator policy states.
• Geometry:  There are no operational items that could be impacted by a graphing calculator, so both calculators will be available in the testing client, or students can bring either a scientific or graphing calculator into the testing environment.
• Biology I:  All students may use a scientific calculator for this test. 

Reference Sheet Clarification:

The reference sheets are for use on the embedded tryout items on the Spring operational tests for Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Biology I, and the Item Tryout section for Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. Students taking the tests in the Spring window should be given a reference sheet whether they are testing online or paper/pencil. Students testing in the Optional Online Retest window will not have any items that require the reference sheet, nor will students taking the OMAAP tests. 

Grade 5 Math Item Tryouts: Measured Progress will be shipping copies of the Reference Sheet to be handed out to students taking the Item Tryout section.

Grades 6-8 Math Item Tryouts:  Reference sheets will be accessible as a tool for the Item Tryouts in the Measured Progress testing client.

A copy of the reference sheets is available by clicking on the Reference Sheet links on the SDE Web site at http://ok.gov/sde/documents/2013-09-05/blue-prints-plds-item-specs.  Next year, EOI reference sheets will be a tool students can access within the testing platform, but they are not available on this year’s online tests.

If you have questions, please contact the Office of Accountability and Assessments at (405) 521-3341.