Reminders

7/22/2025

Removing Data from Older Administrations in CRS

As a reminder, for the listed administrations and years, data will no longer be available after July 25. Users have until that date to download data from those administrations if they wish to save the data files. Data from all later administrations and years will remain in the CRS for 2025-2026.

• 2014-2015 OST
• 2014-2015 AASCD
• 2018-2019, 2019-2020 OELPS

Data in the CRS are preliminary and districts are still responsible for retrieving, storing, and uploading data to EMIS.

Email Address Domain Changes

Districts occasionally change the domain name in their email addresses, and these changes typically occur during the summer. The domain is the portion of the email address after the ‘@’ symbol (for example, name@domain.com). If a district is making such a change, contact the Ohio Help Desk at 1-877-231-7809 after the change is complete so the agents can migrate all user accounts from the old domain to the new domain. This will save the district from having to delete and re-add users and allows for account continuity. For example, the email address Jennifer.Jones@old-domain.com would retain all associations (school, roster, etc.) when it becomes Jennifer.Jones@new-domain.com.

TIDE Downtime and Password Reset

TIDE will be unavailable from July 28 at 5 p.m. through Aug. 5 at 7 a.m. All Ohio assessment user account passwords must be reset prior to TIDE opening for the 2025-2026 school year on Aug 5. Users will not be able to access any Ohio assessment system until they have set up a new password for the new school year.

The Department strongly recommends that DTCs review all users in their school or district after system rollover to ensure personnel have proper access for the 2025-2026 school year. If a user should no longer have an account, test coordinators must remove that user’s access.

The TIDE User Guide has instructions for resetting passwords and for removing and editing user accounts.

Setting Test Windows

The optional test window feature enables districts to create test windows for the OSTs and the Readiness Assessments (Benchmarks and Checkpoints). Using this tool, DTCs can set their district’s test windows within the state test window. When using this feature, test administrators will not be able to include tests in a test session outside of the set test windows. This can prevent test administrators from inadvertently administering an operational test outside of the district’s window. Whether or not a district opts into this feature, it is the district’s responsibility to ensure OST testing only occurs within the district’s test window.

How It Works

Test windows are created by test family. For example, the OST EOC Social Studies test family contains the American History and American Government tests. DTCs have the flexibility to add, edit and delete windows at any time. Multiple windows for the same test family can be created. Test families are not linked to a specific administration (such as OST Fall); therefore, if a test window is created only for the fall administration, those tests may only be administered within that fall test window. If the window is not deleted or another window with the same test family is not created, the tests cannot be administered at any other time during the school year until the previous window is deleted or another window is created.

Recommended Methods to Manage OST Test Windows

Test windows can be created in TIDE at the district or school level. The Department recommends only creating them at the district level to align with the OST requirement that all schools must test within the same district window and simplify test window management. Note: If the district sets school level windows (not recommended), these will override the district window.
Districts that opt-in to this feature should follow one of the two methods below:

1. Prior to the fall administration, create all test windows for fall, spring, and summer administrations. For example, create three test windows for the OST EOC Social Studies test family at the same time: one for fall, one for spring, and one for summer.

Create test windows for one test administration at a time and delete those windows at the close of the administration. For example, create a fall test window for all EOC test families and then delete those windows in February. In March, create a new set of test windows for spring and delete those in May.

Speech-to-Text (STT) Request Form

The embedded speech-to-text (dictation) accommodation allows qualifying students to have their spoken words transcribed directly into writing response spaces without external software or devices. STT is only available on OST English language arts (ELA) tests, Readiness Assessment (RA) ELA tests, the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA), and the Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener (OELPS). Information on this accommodation and how students can qualify for it is located in Ohio’s Accessibility Manual and The Accessibility Manual for OELPS and OELPA.

This accommodation requires approval by the Department. Note that all STT settings are reset during TIDE downtime prior to the opening of the new school year. DTCs can use the request form in TIDE to request this accommodation for 2025-2026 beginning Aug. 5. Submitted requests are automatically forwarded to Department staff for review and approval. Once approved, Cambium enables STT and the requester receives email confirmation. DTCs must submit requests at least three days (72 hours) in advance of testing.

Assessment Conference

This year’s Ohio Online Assessment Conference is on Sept. 23-25. Please mark your calendar. Districts and schools can learn more detail about the new features and enhancements at the conference. The registration announcement will be sent out in early August.