Assessments for English Language Arts

On the Ohio Department of Education website, we use the terms Testing and Assessment in specific ways. Testing refers to Ohio's State Tests. Assessment refers to the many formative and summative assessments teachers and districts use to monitor student progress at the local level. Learn more by reviewing the table below.

Testing	Assessment
Measures how students statewide are gaining knowledge and skills outlined in Ohio’s Learning Standards Provides a measurement of each public school’s performance Results appear in the Ohio School Report Card	Helps educators and parents monitor students’ school progress Shows where students may need additional help or practice Allows teachers to adjust their instruction to meet students’ needs

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Testing - Ohio’s State Tests

Students in grades 3-8 and high school take Ohio’s State Tests in English language arts. Teachers can best prepare their students for the tests by aligning their teaching through the year with Ohio's Learning Standards, which serve as the basis for these tests. See the model curriculum and other resources to help you plan standards-based instruction. 

Educators can access guidance documents, blueprints, sample tests and item tutorials for Ohio's State Tests in English Language Arts through Ohio’s State Test Portal.

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English language arts item release scoring guides

These documents provide the answer keys and scoring guides for the English Language Arts 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

ELA Item Release Scoring Guides

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ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS machine scoring information

These documents provide answers and information regarding the scoring of the Ohio’s state tests for English language arts.
 

• Machine Scoring Questions and Answers
• Ohio’s State Tests: How can a student earn a zero on a written response
• Ohio’s Machine-Scoring Process
• Teaching Prompt Driven Writing

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Additional State Test Resources

• About the tests
• Test blueprints and specifications
• Sample items and related student practice resources
• Resources for high school tested courses

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Assessment - Formative and Summative Assessments

We can define assessments as formative and summative, depending on their purposes.

• Formative classroom assessments are strategies teachers use throughout the year to identify where students may need additional help or practice or when they are ready to move ahead in their learning. Rather than relying only upon traditional tests, teachers can use dozens of formative instructional practices to assess student progress. Then, they can adjust their teaching to meet students' needs. Learn more from  resources below.
• Summative classroom assessments evaluate student learning near the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against a standard.

Last Modified: 8/8/2024 12:14:00 AM

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