The following is information that will go out tomorrow in our district newsletter. This is one of the questions that was asked at the Parent Information Night with Penny Plavala: Why do our students take the Oregon State Assessments?
Information: Assessment is an important component of teaching and learning. State tests provide parents and educators with meaningful diagnostic information about a student’s progress in mastering certain content and skills, and provide data that can be used effectively to shape future instruction. Oregon’s new state test – the Smarter Balanced Assessment – is expected to provide even more useful information and show us how our students are doing relative to their peers nationwide.
Similar to our previous state tests, Smarter Balanced assessments make use of computer adaptive technology, which is more precise and efficient in delivering accurate and timely information on student progress. Computer adaptive tests adjust to a student’s ability by basing the difficulty of future questions on previous answers, providing a more accurate measurement of student achievement. Unlike our previous state tests, Smarter Balanced assessments go beyond multiple-choice questions and include different types of questions that allow students to construct their own answers and better demonstrate their communication, analytical, and real-world problem solving skills.
Graduation: In order to graduate from high school in Oregon, students must meet standards on the statewide assessment or an alternative assessment. Oregon’s graduation requirements include demonstrating proficiency in the essential skills of reading, writing and math. Most students do this by meeting standards on the state test. If not, they must demonstrate proficiency either by meeting standards on another approved standardized test, or through work samples, which likely would require taking an additional class in place of another chosen course or elective.
School report cards: Under Oregon’s school accountability system, state testing participation is a factor in the annual Oregon school report card and the rating received by each school and district. Schools and districts that have state testing participation rates below the minimum requirement (94.5% of all students and 94.5% of each subgroup of students) will have their overall school rating lowered by one level (out of five) per each consecutive year participation rates are not met. A school’s rating can influence how a school is perceived and how well it attracts and retains student enrollment and neighborhood residents.