Ohio's State Tests (OST)

12/30/2024

Concluding Fall Testing

The high school (HS) end-of-course (EOC) testing window closes Jan. 17. All scorable answer documents must be returned by Jan. 21 and all nonscorable secure documents must be returned by Jan. 27. See the Key Dates section of this newsletter for score reporting dates.
 
The deadline to request Printed Family Reports and/or Score Report Labels in TIDE is Jan.17. Requested Printed Family Reports are due in districts:

• Jan. 21 for Grade 3 English Language Arts (ELA) tests.
• March 31 for HS EOC tests.

Dropout Prevention and Recovery (DOPR) Extended Test Window HS EOC Test Administration

The spring DOPR extended window EOC test administration is Jan. 20-March 28 for approved DOPR community schools. All students testing during the DOPR extended test window must be marked with the DOPR attribute set to “Y” in TIDE.

Spring OST On-time Order Window 

The spring OST on-time order window for all subjects is open in TIDE Jan. 28-Feb. 3. District test coordinators (DTCs) place orders under the “Paper Orders Grades 3-8 Spring 2025” and “Paper Orders High School EOC Spring 2025” administrations in TIDE. Review the Spring 2025 Supplemental Instructions for Paper Testing manual: keywords “Key Dates for Online Testing” for details on placing orders. All orders are subject to Department approval.

Paper Test Option for the 2025-2026 Grade 3 Assessments

Ohio law allows the option of paper or online test administration for Grade 3 OST and the Grade 3 Alternate Assessment for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities (AASCD). A district board of education or governing authority must make the choice to use paper tests and submit a board or governing authority resolution to the Department by May 1 for the following school year.
 
District superintendents and DTCs received a secure link from Cambium Assessment (Ohio Meetings) in December 2024 to specify which grade 3 assessments (ELA, mathematics, both, or neither) they will administer in paper format for the 2025-2026 school year and to upload the resolution authorizing that choice. 

A district or community school does not need to submit a resolution if it:

• gives only online tests to third graders. (Paper accommodations will still be available as accessibility features without a board or governing authority resolution.)
• does not test third graders.  

Please contact Ohio Meetings at ohiomeetings@cambiumassessment.com if the December email was not received or for questions about accessing or submitting the form.

New Screen Reader Accessible Presentation Accommodation

In response to the needs of the Ohio education community, the Office of Assessment is pleased to announce a new accommodation to better support low vision and blind students who use screen readers (such as JAWS). The new Screen Reader Accessible presentation accommodation was developed in partnership with Cambium Assessment and low vision/blind accessibility experts and will be available beginning with the spring 2025 OST. Use this new accommodation instead of the Screen Reader Mode test setting.
 
To support this new accommodation, a change is also being made to the test settings sections of TIDE and the TA Interface. Within the Other Tools category, the Language test setting has been renamed Presentation and will now have three options: English (default), Bilingual English-Spanish, and Screen Reader Accessible.
 
To allow students an opportunity to use this accommodation prior to spring testing, the Practice Site is also being updated. This accommodation will be available beginning Feb. 3 on all OST Practice Tests.
 
For additional details on the new accommodation, consult the Spring 2025 OST Test Administration Manual. For additional information on using screen readers with the Test Delivery System, see the Assistive Technology Manual.