Release
of Spring 2018 Test Items
A partial release of
items from the spring 2018 Ohio's State Tests in English Language Arts is now
available in the Ohio’s
State Test portal. These items give educators insight into the kinds of questions
students experienced, and they are a useful tool to inform classroom
instruction. Both teachers and parents may use this resource to help students
know what to expect on the state tests.
Included with each
item in this release are the associated learning standard(s) and scoring
rubrics. Examples of student responses also are available to illustrate actual
work and the corresponding points earned on the student examples.
Test
Specifications Now Available
The English Language
Arts Test Specifications provide an overview of the structure and content of
Ohio’s State Test. This overview includes a description of the test design as
well as information on the types of items that will appear on the tests. Also
included is a test blueprint, which is a document that identifies the range and
distribution of points grouped into various reporting categories (e.g., Reading
Literary Text, Reading Informational Text, Writing). The specifications also
provide specific guidelines for the development of all items used for Ohio’s
English Language Arts tests.
These documents are a
resource for item writers, test designers, Ohio educators, and other stakeholders
who are interested in a deeper understanding of the tests.
Updated
Test Blueprints
The test blueprints
for Ohio's State Tests for English Language Arts have been updated to
reflect the 2017 Ohio Learning Standards for English Language Arts. Test
blueprints serve as a guide for test construction and provide an outline of the
content and skills to be measured on the tests. They contain information about
individual tests, including the number of points on the test and how the
learning standards are grouped in order to report the test results. All
standards identified on the blueprint are eligible to appear on a test and
should be taught during instruction.
Updated
Practice Tests
The half-length practice
tests have been updated to reflect the 2017 Ohio Learning Standards
for English Language Arts. Updated half-length practice tests are available for
each of the state tests. Practice test items and writing samples allow students
to become familiar with the online test environment by showcasing the different
item types, features, and functionality available to students during online
testing. A scoring rubric is available in the Item Release Scoring Guide
for each set of these practice items.
Teachers can review
released test items and student writing samples to evaluate the level of
reading comprehension and writing skills needed for students to be considered
proficient. This analysis can help teachers examine their local curriculum to
determine if their instruction is providing students enough opportunities to
take their reading comprehension and writing skills to a deeper level.
Updated
Practice Test Scoring Guides
The Practice Test
Scoring Guides have been updated to reflect the 2017 Ohio Learning Standards
for English Language Arts. The Practice Test Scoring Guides provide answer
keys and scoring guidance for each of the Ohio State Tests for English Language
Arts. They include the item type, the content standard and content statement
assessed, an answer key, and the number of points associated with each item.
They also include the guidelines for scoring (i.e., scoring rubrics), sample
responses and notes on scoring and rationales that describe why response
options are correct or incorrect.
Updated
Writing Rubrics
The writing rubrics
for grades 3-5 remain the same as previous school years. The writing rubrics
for grades 6-12 have been updated to reflect the 2017 Ohio Learning Standards
for English Language Arts.
Updated
Performance Level Descriptors
The Performance Level
Descriptors (PLDs) have been updated to reflect the 2017 Ohio Learning
Standards for English Language Arts. The PLDs are the link between Ohio’s
Learning Standards and performance standards. They were developed by Ohio
educators and other content experts to illustrate the typical demonstration of
the learning for each of the five performance levels: Limited, Basic,
Proficient, Accelerated and Advanced. Teachers can review the PLDs for each
grade level or subject to match each descriptive statement with its course
standards. Teachers can then review local curriculum materials to see if
opportunities are being given to students to demonstrate deeper conceptual
understanding of course content at the different performance levels.
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