Student Readiness Toolkits

What are the Student Readiness Toolkits?

The Toolkits are standards-based guides designed to help educators determine students’ levels of educational attainment when starting the new school year. The toolkits include curriculum and assessment materials, which may help identify instructional needs and determine instructional priorities.
 

How should the Toolkits be used?

Understanding the level of knowledge acquisition and understanding for each student is important for teachers and schools. This understanding can inform instructional practices and the structure of the learning experience for students. The following are some of the ways the toolkits can be used:
 

Data-informed continuous improvement. Most schools and districts already have data-informed continuous improvement processes in place, either through deep engagement in the Ohio Improvement Process or through similar improvement frameworks. These supports could be integrated in Teacher-Based Teams (TBTs) or other collaborative planning approaches. 


Instruction and standards. The Gap Analysis should be used as a tool for teachers to determine the needs of individual students or to determine the needs for small group work. It should be used with other resources such as the Learning Progressions, Critical Areas of Focus, and Model Curriculum to plan for instruction.

Assessment supports. Most schools have vendor-based or district-created assessment systems. To complement those tools, the Department has created additional assessment supports to help teachers gain understanding about each child's knowledge, skills, abilities, and learning needs. Data collected by teachers from the assessments can help monitor student progress toward the achievement of Ohio's Learning Standards.

Effective Planning. The toolkits provide educators with resources that are tightly aligned to Ohio’s Learning Standards. These resources are targeted to meet the needs of students and to provide educators with data to determine and plan instructional priorities.


Regional Data Leads (RDLs). Regional Data Leads (RDLs) are education professionals who promote the use of student performance data among other educators regionally, both to strengthen professional practice and improve learning for all students. Regional Data Leads are located at Educational Service Centers and within State Support Teams throughout the state. They are valuable resources to educators and administrators as they work together to make data-informed decisions to best support student learning. Contact information is available here


English Language Arts

  • The English Language Arts Student Readiness Gap Analysis  may be used to create a record of the learning opportunities students had during the previous academic year to help inform teachers where English language arts knowledge and skills are for incoming students.
  • Ohio's Learning Standards for English Language Arts
  • The Model Curriculum is a tool that provides educators with information that clarifies the learning standards and sets the foundation for planning and developing instruction aligned to Ohio's Learning Standards for English Language Arts. As educators begin to use this tool, it is important to understand how all of the components work together to accomplish the goal of educating Ohio students.
  • Vertical Alignment documents, represented by strand, show how the standards progress from kindergarten through grade 12 for each of the college and career readiness anchor standards.
  • Learning Progressions are found before and after the Content Elaborations section of the Model Curriculum. Progression statements provide educators with a general description of the knowledge and skills students learned prior to that grade level/band, and the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn in the next grade level/band. Progressions reflect the gradual development of skills over time. The educators who updated the model curriculum paid particular attention to vertically align these progressions, which means that they represent the way the standards' skills and knowledge build on one another and increase in complexity from kindergarten to the anchor standards. See image below for the location of Learning Progressions within Model Curriculum documents.                    
                           learning-progressions-img.png
  • Depth of Knowledge Resources for ELA - The depth of knowledge (DOK) level describes the level of understanding required to answer a question or perform an activity not whether the task is considered “difficult.” What mental processing, or cognitive rigor, must occur for a student to complete the task?
  • Assessment Resources for English Language Arts
  • Practice Tests and Sample Test Items - Both practice tests and sample test items allow students to view and answer test questions that are like those that could appear on state tests. Teachers and parents also may use related resources to help their students know what to expect. 
    • Student Practice Site
    • Student Testing Site Tutorials: Testing Tools - These tutorials provide information about the online Student Testing Site. Part 1 walks through the student sign-in process and navigation. Part 2 covers the tools available to students.
    • Student Practice Resources – English Language Arts
      Online Practice Test and Item Release Scoring Guides - These documents provide the answer keys and scoring guides for the ELA Practice Tests and various released items available on the Student Practice Site. They include the item type, the content strand 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.
    • Paper Test Materials
      • ELA Paper Practice Tests - These documents contain the items from the online English language arts practice tests that can be rendered on paper. These PDFs can be downloaded and printed for use as practice tests in place of the online practice tests.
      • ELA Paper Practice Test Answer Documents
      • ELA Large Print Paper Practice Tests - These large print documents contain the items from the online English language arts practice tests that can be rendered on paper. These PDFs can be downloaded and printed for use as large print practice tests in place of the online practice tests. The large print practice tests can be used with the existing paper practice test answer documents and scoring guides available on the test portal and listed in these practice resources.
      • Grade 3 ELA Paper Item Release - These documents contain the released items from the online English language arts tests that also appeared on paper. These PDFs can be downloaded and printed for use as practice in place of the online released items. The paper item release can be used with the existing item release scoring guides available on the test portal and listed in these practice resources.
      • Grade 3 ELA Large Print Paper Item Release - These large print documents contain the released items from the online English language arts tests that also appeared on paper. These PDFs can be downloaded and printed for use as large print practice. The large print paper item release can be used with the existing item release scoring guides available on the test portal and listed in these practice resources.
    • Writing Rubrics - Two writing rubrics are available for grades 3 through 5: informative/explanatory and opinion. Two writing rubrics are available for grades 6 through high school: informative/explanatory and argumentation. Each rubric describes the score point characteristics across three domains.
  • The Readiness Assessments Portal contains a suite of optional assessment tools for students in grades 3 through high school that have been developed by the Ohio Department of Education in collaboration with Cambium Assessment, Inc. Comprised of two components, Benchmark Tests and Checkpoint Assessments, the purpose of these assessments is to provide educators with actionable performance data using assessments that have been aligned with Ohio's Learning Standards and built using items from Ohio's State Tests.
    • Benchmark tests are full-length assessments that mirror the content and test characteristics of Ohio’s State Tests in terms of length, test specifications, blueprints and tools available to students (such as the calculator). These benchmark tests will be machine-scored, allowing reporting in near real-time to give teachers rapid access to results. Mirroring Ohio’s State Tests also allows for reporting measures that are familiar to Ohio educators, such as performance levels. Results will be reported in the Centralized Reporting System, with additional tools to assist teachers in understanding and using the data. To aid teachers in connecting assessment results with instruction, the Department is providing resources specific to each benchmark test, including instructional strategies, content information and learning activities.
    • Checkpoint assessments consist of six to 10 items and offer a range of opportunities to assess within each reporting category. Items offer varying levels of difficulty or complexity, as well as breadth of Ohio’s Learning Standards for the reporting category. To a large extent, these assessments will be machine-scored. Raw scores (the number of items correct) will be provided in the Centralized Reporting System. As part of a balanced system of local informal and formative assessments, the checkpoint assessments will provide useful information in gauging students’ knowledge and performance within each reporting category.
  • Data gathered by these readiness assessments will be available for analysis using the Centralized Reporting System, an online platform through which assessment data can be analyzed. Educators will be able to conduct an item level analysis at the district, classroom or student level; review individual student responses for every item on every test; compare performance across a wide variety of contexts and categories; and much more. Resources about the Centralized Reporting System, Readiness Assessments, how to access and view assessment data, FAQs, user guides and more can be found here.

Mathematics

  • The Mathematics Student Readiness Gap Analysis  may be used to create a record of the learning opportunities students had during the previous academic year to help inform teachers where mathematics knowledge and skills are for incoming students.
  • Mathematics Preparing for Instruction
    • A series of guiding questions to trigger teacher reflection on previous teaching practices while at the same time considering the likely absence or weakness of previous learning. This tool should be used in conjunction with the Gap Analysis. 
  • K-8 Learning Progressions 
  • K-8 Critical Areas of Focus 
  • Model Curriculum
  • Standards for Mathematical Practice 
  • Practice Tests and Sample Test Items - Both practice tests and sample test items allow students to view and answer test questions that are like those that could appear on state tests. Teachers and parents also may use related resources to help their students know what to expect.  
    • Student Practice Site
    • Student Testing Site Tutorials: Testing Tools - These tutorials provide information about the online Student Testing Site. Part 1 walks through the student sign-in process and navigation. Part 2 covers the tools available to students. 
    • Student Practice Resources – Mathematics
      • Online Practice Test and Item Release Scoring Guides - These documents provide the answer keys and scoring guides for the Math Practice Tests and various released items available on the Student Practice Site. They include the item type, the content strand 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. Math tools such as online calculators and reference sheets are also included as part of these resources.
      • Paper Test Materials
        • Math Paper Practice Tests - These documents contain the items from the online math practice tests that can be rendered on paper. These PDFs can be downloaded and printed for use as practice tests in place of the online practice tests.
        • Math Paper Practice Test Answer Documents
        • Math Large Print Paper Practice Tests - These large print documents contain the items from the online math practice tests that can be rendered on paper. These PDFs can be downloaded and printed for use as large print practice tests in place of the online practice tests. The large print practice tests can be used with the existing paper practice test answer documents and scoring guides available on the test portal and listed in these practice resources.
        • Grade 3 Math Paper Item Release - These documents contain the released items from the online math tests that also appeared on paper. These PDFs can be downloaded and printed for use as practice in place of the online released items. The paper item release can be used with the existing item release scoring guides available on the test portal and listed in these practice resources.
        • Grade 3 Math Large Print Paper Item Release - These large print documents contain the released items from the online math tests that also appeared on paper. These PDFs can be downloaded and printed for use as large print practice. The large print paper item release can be used with the existing item release scoring guides available on the test portal and listed in these practice resources.
  • The Readiness Assessments Portal contains a suite of optional assessment tools for students in grades 3 through high school that have been developed by the Ohio Department of Education in collaboration with Cambium Assessment, Inc. Comprised of two components, Benchmark Tests and Checkpoint Assessments, the purpose of these assessments is to provide educators with actionable performance data using assessments that have been aligned with Ohio's Learning Standards and built using items from Ohio's State Tests.
    • Benchmark tests are full-length assessments that mirror the content and test characteristics of Ohio’s State Tests in terms of length, test specifications, blueprints and tools available to students (such as the calculator). These benchmark tests will be machine-scored, allowing reporting in near real-time to give teachers rapid access to results. Mirroring Ohio’s State Tests also allows for reporting measures that are familiar to Ohio educators, such as performance levels. Results will be reported in a new, innovative reporting system, with additional tools to assist teachers in understanding and using the data. To aid teachers in connecting assessment results with instruction, the Department is providing resources specific to each benchmark test, including instructional strategies, content information and learning activities.
    • Checkpoint assessments consist of six to 10 items and offer a range of opportunities to assess within each reporting category. Items offer varying levels of difficulty or complexity, as well as breadth of Ohio’s Learning Standards for the reporting category. To a large extent, these assessments will be machine-scored. Raw scores (the number of items correct) will be provided in the new reporting system. As part of a balanced system of local informal and formative assessments, the checkpoint assessments will provide useful information in gauging students’ knowledge and performance within each reporting category.
  • Data gathered by these readiness assessments will be available for analysis using the Centralized Reporting System, an online platform through which assessment data can be analyzed. Educators will be able to conduct an item level analysis at the district, classroom or student level; review individual student responses for every item on every test; compare performance across a wide variety of contexts and categories; and much more. Resources about the Centralized Reporting System, Readiness Assessments, how to access and view assessment data, FAQs, user guides and more can be found here.

Science

  • Science Student Readiness Gap Analysis may be used to create a record of the learning opportunities students had during the previous academic year to help inform teachers where science knowledge and skills are for incoming students.
  • The Science Vertical Alignment K-8 document provides a broad view of how knowledge deepens over time in each topic area and can be used in a variety of ways. For an individual teacher the vertical alignment can provide a more detailed view into expected prior skills and knowledge than that provided in the standards and model curriculum documents. This may help teachers better understand the content students should have encountered before entering a grade. It also could inform teachers as they create pre-assessments to help identify missing prerequisite skills.
  • Ohio's Learning Standards for Science serve as a basis for what all students should know and be able to do in order to become scientifically literate citizens, equipped with knowledge and skills for the 21st century workforce and higher education. Ohio educators are provided with the content and expectations for learning at each grade level. The standards provide critical science knowledge, are grade-level appropriate, and reflect current research.
  • The Model Curriculum is a tool that provides educators with information that clarifies the learning standards and sets the foundation for planning and implementing instruction aligned to Ohio's Learning Standards for Science. As educators begin to use this tool, it is important to understand how all the components work together to accomplish the goal of educating Ohio students.
  • Cognitive Demands refer to the kind and level of thinking required of students in order to successfully engage with and solve a task. It describes the level of understanding required to answer a question or perform an activity not whether the task is considered “difficult.” What mental processing, or cognitive rigor, must occur for a student to complete the task?
  • Additional Resources for Science
  • Practice Tests and Sample Test Items - Both practice tests and sample test items allow students to view and answer test questions that are like those that could appear on state tests. Teachers and parents also may use related resources to help their students know what to expect.
    • Student Practice Site
    • Student Testing Site Tutorials: Testing Tools - These tutorials provide information about the online Student Testing Site. Part 1 walks through the student sign-in process and navigation. Part 2 covers the tools available to students.
    • Student Practice Resources – Science
      • Online Practice Test and Item Release Scoring Guides These documents provide the answer keys and scoring guides for the Science Practice Tests and various Item Release Tests available on the Student Practice Site. They include the item type, the content strand and content statement assessed, an answer key (for some item types) 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.
      • Paper Test Materials
        • Science Paper Practice Tests - These documents contain the items from the online science practice tests that can be rendered on paper. These PDFs can be downloaded and printed for use as practice tests in place of the online practice tests.
        • Science Paper Practice Test Answer Documents
        • Science Large Print Paper Practice Tests - These large print documents contain the items from the online science practice tests that can be rendered on paper. These PDFs can be downloaded and printed for use as large print practice tests in place of the online practice tests. The large print practice tests can be used with the existing paper practice test answer documents and scoring guides available on the test portal and listed in these practice resources.
  • The Readiness Assessments Portal contains a suite of optional assessment tools for students in grades 3 through high school that have been developed by the Ohio Department of Education in collaboration with Cambium Assessment, Inc. Comprised of two components, Benchmark Tests and Checkpoint Tests, the purpose of these assessments is to provide educators with actionable performance data using assessments that have been aligned with Ohio's Learning Standards and built using items from Ohio's State Tests.
    • Benchmark tests are full-length tests that mirror the content and test characteristics of Ohio’s State Tests in terms of length, test specifications, blueprints and tools available to students (such as the calculator). These benchmark tests will be machine-scored, allowing reporting in near real-time to give teachers rapid access to results. Mirroring Ohio’s State Tests also allows for reporting measures that are familiar to Ohio educators, such as performance levels. Results will be reported in a new, innovative reporting system, with additional tools to assist teachers in understanding and using the data. To aid teachers in connecting test results with instruction, the Department is providing resources specific to each benchmark test, including instructional strategies, content information and learning activities.
    • Checkpoint tests consist of six to 10 items and offer a range of opportunities to assess within each reporting category. Items offer varying levels of difficulty or complexity, as well as breadth of Ohio’s Learning Standards for the reporting category. To a large extent, these tests will be machine-scored. Raw scores (the number of items correct) will be provided in the new reporting system. As part of a balanced system of local informal and formative assessments, the checkpoint tests will provide useful information in gauging students’ knowledge and performance within each reporting category.
  • Data gathered by these readiness assessments will be available for analysis using the Centralized Reporting System, an online platform through which assessment data can be analyzed. Educators will be able to conduct an item level analysis at the district, classroom or student level; review individual student responses for every item on every test; compare performance across a wide variety of contexts and categories; and much more. Resources about the Centralized Reporting System, Readiness Assessments, how to access and view test data, FAQs, user guides and more can be found here.

Social Studies

  • Social Studies Student Readiness K-8 Gap Analysis and High School Courses Gap Analysis may be used to create a record of the learning opportunities students had during the previous academic year to help inform teachers where social studies knowledge and skills are for incoming students.
  • The Social Studies Vertical Alignment Chart (K-8) document provides a broad view of how knowledge deepens over time in each topic area and can be used in a variety of ways. For an individual teacher the vertical alignment can provide a more detailed view into expected prior skills and knowledge than that provided in the standards and model curriculum documents.
  • Ohio's Learning Standards for Social Studies outline what students should know and be able to do in social studies to succeed in college, careers and for their role as engaged citizens. The standards provide critical social studies knowledge, are grade-level appropriate and reflect current research.
  • The Model Curriculum is a tool that provides educators with information that clarifies the learning standards and sets the foundation for planning and implementing instruction aligned to Ohio's Learning Standards for Social Studies. As educators begin to use this tool, it is important to understand how all the components work together to accomplish the goal of educating Ohio students.
  • Depth of Knowledge Resources for Social Studies - The depth of knowledge (DOK) level describes the level of understanding required to answer a question or perform an activity not whether the task is considered “difficult.” What mental processing, or cognitive rigor, must occur for a student to complete the task?
  • Additional Resources for Social Studies
  • Practice Tests and Sample Test Items - Both practice tests and sample test items allow students to view and answer test questions that are like those that could appear on state tests. Teachers and parents also may use related resources to help their students know what to expect.  
  • Student Practice Site
  • Student Testing Site Tutorials: Testing Tools- These tutorials provide information about the online Student Testing Site. Part 1 walks through the student sign-in process and navigation. Part 2 covers the tools available to students.
  • Student Practice Resources – Social Studies
    • Online Practice Test and Item Release Scoring Guides - These documents provide the answer keys and scoring guides for the Social Studies Practice Tests and various Item Release Tests available on the Student Practice Site. They include the item type, the content strand and content statement assessed, an answer key (for some item types) 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.
    • Paper Test Materials
      • Social Studies Paper Practice Tests - These documents contain the items from the online social studies practice tests that can be rendered on paper. These PDFs can be downloaded and printed for use as practice tests in place of the online practice tests.
      • Social Studies Paper Practice Test Answer Documents
      • Social Studies Large Print Paper Practice Tests - These large print documents contain the items from the online social studies practice tests that can be rendered on paper. These PDFs can be downloaded and printed for use as large print practice tests in place of the online practice tests. The large print practice tests can be used with the existing paper practice test answer documents and scoring guides available on the test portal and listed in these practice resources.
  • The Readiness Assessments Portal contains a suite of optional assessment tools for students in grades 3 through high school that have been developed by the Ohio Department of Education in collaboration with Cambium Assessment, Inc. Comprised of two components, Benchmark Tests and Checkpoint Tests, the purpose of these assessments is to provide educators with actionable performance data using assessments that have been aligned with Ohio's Learning Standards and built using items from Ohio's State Tests.
    • Benchmark tests are full-length tests that mirror the content and test characteristics of Ohio’s State Tests in terms of length, test specifications, blueprints and tools available to students (such as the calculator). These benchmark tests will be machine-scored, allowing reporting in near real-time to give teachers rapid access to results. Mirroring Ohio’s State Tests also allows for reporting measures that are familiar to Ohio educators, such as performance levels. Results will be reported in a new, innovative reporting system, with additional tools to assist teachers in understanding and using the data. To aid teachers in connecting test results with instruction, the Department is providing resources specific to each benchmark test, including instructional strategies, content information and learning activities.
    • Checkpoint tests consist of six to 10 items and offer a range of opportunities to assess within each reporting category. Items offer varying levels of difficulty or complexity, as well as breadth of Ohio’s Learning Standards for the reporting category. To a large extent, these tests will be machine-scored. Raw scores (the number of items correct) will be provided in the new reporting system. As part of a balanced system of local informal and formative assessments, the checkpoint tests will provide useful information in gauging students’ knowledge and performance within each reporting category.

Data gathered by these readiness assessments will be available for analysis using the Centralized Reporting System, an online platform through which assessment data can be analyzed. Educators will be able to conduct an item level analysis at the district, classroom or student level; review individual student responses for every item on every test; compare performance across a wide variety of contexts and categories; and much more. Resources about the Centralized Reporting System, Readiness Assessments, how to access and view test data, FAQs, user guides and more can be found here.


Assessment Literacy Tools

“Assessment Literacy is defined as the knowledge of means for assessing what students know and can do, how to interpret the results from these assessments, and how to apply these results to improve student learning and program effectiveness.”   ~ Norman Webb
Teachers understand and use varied assessments to inform instruction, evaluate and ensure student learning. Some fundamental assessment literacy tools that can be used to develop classroom assessments are given below.

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Last Modified: 3/15/2024 3:22:50 PM