• For the extended writing portion of the English language arts assessment, can students construct their answers using bulleted points?
• How did the Ohio Department of Education ensure the developmental appropriateness of Ohio’s State Tests at each grade level?
• How do I prepare my students for the writing portions on Ohio’s State Tests?
• How many questions will be on the new test, and what will their point values be?
• How much of the test will include fiction passages and how much will include nonfiction?
• If districts have decided to do the 90-minute blocks for testing, can they give two in the same day?
• Must districts administer Part One and Part Two for the assessment in numerical order?
• Since AIR, which is Ohio’s current test vendor, also works with other states, does this mean the tests for those states are the same as Ohio’s and that Ohio teachers can use the practice items provided by those states to prepare students for Ohio’s State Tests?
• What are Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs)?
• What are the components for the English Language Arts assessment?
• What do the acronyms RH and RST stand for? These are standards referenced in the reading section of the English Language Arts test blueprints.
• What is the test design, or item breakdown for the new tests?
• What does the acronym WHST stand for? These are standards referenced in the writing section of the English Language Arts test blueprints.
• What can districts do to prepare for the upcoming assessments?
• Where are the extended writing prompts located on the 2016-2017 test?
• Where can I find information on the machine scoring process for written responses?
• Will all Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels be equally represented on the tests?
• Will partial credit be offered for certain questions on the test?
• Will student writing be graded by a person or a computer?
• Will the English language arts tests have audio items?
• Will the language standards be assessed on Ohio’s State Tests for English Language Arts?
• How many pieces of writing will be on the test this year? How many points will it be worth?
• Will there be extended writing prompts attached to the reading passages?

• How can districts use Appendices A, B, and C in curriculum planning?

• When should schools implement the Ohio's Learning Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects?
• When will statewide assessments aligned to Ohio's Learning Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects begin?
• What can be done in the short term?
• How can educators begin to align their instruction to Ohio's Learning Standards?
• How will the Ohio's Learning Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects be distributed?
• What supports for Ohio's Learning Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects are provided by the Ohio Department of Education?

The extended writing response would not support bulleted responses and should be avoided. The purpose of this portion of the English language arts test is to assess how well students can construct ideas and support them in a well-developed response.
 

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To ensure that Ohio’s State Tests are appropriate for each grade level, every question on the test was reviewed by a panel of teachers from all over the state of Ohio. This panel included general classroom teachers, intervention specialists, and special education teachers (for diverse learners). In addition, all passages on the tests fall within the accepted Lexile range for the grade level.
 

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Classroom instruction should remain focused on teaching students to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of Ohio’s Learning Standards. A resource on prompt-driven writing is posted here. 

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The number of questions is variable since it is a point-driven test. Beginning with the spring 2017 administration, there will be two point items, so the number of questions could vary based on the number of points each item is worth. For example, if there are ten 1-point questions and two 2-point questions, that would add up to the minimum of 14 points with 12 questions. This point value could also be achieved with 14 one-point items. The variability is small, but it will certainly be there.

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Please refer to the blueprints on the Ohio Test Portal.

 

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Yes, they can.
 

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No, districts can choose to administer Part Two first, if they prefer.
 

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• It is true that AIR is contracted with other states, including Florida, Arizona, and Utah; however, the tests for these states will not all be the same. It is possible that students could benefit from experiencing the different types of items and their functionality (evidence-based responses, multiple select, hot text, etc.). We suggest, that teachers first look at Ohio’s English language arts test blueprints to see how similar they are to the other states’ blueprints before relying on those states’ additional practice items. Otherwise, these practice items may be helpful in showing how well students demonstrate an understanding of the standards.
• Remember, too, that the construction of the tests in each state is based on the contract that state has with AIR, which accounts for many of the differences. Overall, if you are looking to expose your students to different types of items (e.g., evidence-based responses, multiple select, hot text, etc.), then there is no harm in looking at the practice tests in other states; however, this in no way indicates that students will encounter the exact same types of items on the Ohio test.
   

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• The Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs) were developed by Ohio educators and other content experts to recommend the most appropriate implementation of content and skills for Ohio’s State Tests for English language arts. The Ohio Department of Education and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) assembled panels of Ohio stakeholders to review actual test questions to define what students should know or be able to do at each performance level. The feedback from the Ohio stakeholders during the standard setting process was compiled and analyzed to determine the cut scores to rank student performance.
• The Ohio stakeholder recommendations for cut scores were shared with the State Board of Education and approved at the January 2016 board meeting.
   

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The assessments beginning in spring 2017, developed with more Ohio-created items, will be separated into the following parts:

• Grades 3-5
  •  Part One: Reading and one Extended Writing Response 
  •  Part Two: Reading only

• Grades 6 through English Language Arts II
  • Part One: Reading and one Extended Writing Response
  • Part Two: Reading and one Extended Writing Response
     

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RH stands for the Reading Standards for Literacy in History and Social Studies in grades 6-12. RST represents the Reading Standards for Literacy in Science, and Technical Subjects in grades 6-12.
 

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The testing blueprints offer guidance on item breakdown by reporting categories. Item specifications will be available summer 2018.
 

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WHST stands for Writing for Literacy in History, Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. The blueprints reference the standards here because students may be asked to write in response to historical or scientific documents.
 

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Sample online items for Ohio English language arts and mathematics, as well as online practice tests and released items for the Ohio science and social studies tests, are available on the Portal for Ohio's State Tests. Look for the Practice Tests icon on the home page. Students will see the types of questions that Ohio may administer online. Additionally, the online items give students the opportunity to navigate through the online testing system, use the available tools and features and familiarize themselves with the testing experience. Test takers will not receive scores when submitting tests in the Practice Site.

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Every attempt is being made to evenly distribute the DOK levels among the tests as appropriate; however, there will not be any DOK 4 items on the test, with the exception of some English language arts extended responses at a DOK 4 level.

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On the current administration, there are two-point items that can receive up to two points.

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Student writing will be machine scored. For more information on this process, please go to our Assessment page. 
 

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While we are hoping to have multimedia and audio items available in the future, they will not be present on the current administration.

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Students will need to demonstrate an adequate command of basic conventions when composing their extended writing response.  Questions that specifically test a student’s knowledge of language conventions will not be on the test. Questions will appear on the test that assess students' vocabulary acquisition and use, including determining the meaning of unknown or multi-meaning words and demonstrating understanding of figurative language.

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Beginning with the spring 2017 administration, the extended writing prompts will be attached to reading passages. Students will have the opportunity to respond to reading items that will scaffold them toward the extended writing prompt.

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According to the Common Core State Standards Initiative website, “students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in a variety of content areas [; therefore,] the standards promote the literacy skills and concepts required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines.” The appendices provide exemplars and samples for teachers to use as a way of providing students with a “best example” of what it means to demonstrate understanding of certain standards across content areas. Further, the reading lists provided in the appendices are merely exemplars, which are typical examples or excellent models (Oxford Dictionary), and should not be adopted as a district’s or school’s grade level required reading list.

Although districts are free to select from these options as they develop their required reading lists for various grade levels, they should not view the lists in the appendices as mandated for their use. Such choices are local decisions.

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The transition to Ohio's Learning Standards should be underway. Students in grades K-2 should be working with the standards now. Full implementation should be in place for all grade levels during the 2013-2014 school year. The Model Curriculum as adopted by the State Board of Education should assist districts, schools and educators in designing curriculum aligned to the standards.

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Ohio is a governing state in the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Consortium (PARCC). According to PARRC the timeline for the development and implementation of assessments aligned to Ohio's Learning Standards is:

• 2012-13 School Year: First year pilot/field testing and related research and data collection
• 2013-14 School Year: Second year pilot/field testing and related research and data collection
• 2014-15 School Year: Full operational administration of PARCC assessments
• Summer 2015: Set achievement levels, including college-ready performance levels

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Educators should become familiar with Ohio's Learning Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects and the Model Curriculum. They are encouraged to participate in the Targeted Professional Development sessions being held across the state. 

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Educators should:

• Focus on content depth
• Integrate the concepts and skills from reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language into instructional units. Avoid teaching skills in isolation.
• Use formative instructional strategies and assessments K-12.
• Develop the students’ ability to view themselves as effective readers and writers – as effective communicators.
• Use resources that connect the English Language Arts concepts and skills in the classroom to the outside world, which adds relevance to what is being taught.
• Become familiar with the Content Elaborations and Enduring Understandings found in the Model Curriculum which is posted online.
• Promote performance-based assessment.
• Plan and implement appropriate professional development for both teachers and administrators, building both content and pedagogical knowledge for students as well as educators.

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The Ohio's Learning Standards in English Language Arts for grades K-12 can be found here. 

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The following resources can be found on the English Language Arts page.

• A PowerPoint that provides an Introduction to Ohio's Learning Standards and the Model Curricula
• The Model Curricula for each topic of Ohio's Learning Standards at each grade level.
• A comparative analysis between Ohio’s 2002 Academic Content Standards and Ohio's Learning Standards.
• A crosswalk between Ohio’s 2002 Academic Content Standards and Ohio's Learning Standards.
• An example of the Eye of Integration for the high school
• The link to the Ohio's Learning Standards
• Links to outside resources that provide valuable information:
  • Bringing the Common Core to Life – A video done by one of the writers of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects.http://vimeo.com/25242442

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