Westerville City School District (WCSD) officials today announced the release of the district’s final 2016-17 local testing calendar for students.
“We’ve continued to monitor all Ohio Department of Education requirements for this school year and have been working closely with administrators and teachers to develop this comprehensive testing calendar,” said Dr. Scott Ebbrecht, WCSD’s director of assessment and alternative education. “Our goal has been to create a calendar that meets the needs of all stakeholders; clearly articulates the assessments administered at each grade level; and reflects parental feedback obtained through formal, coordinated outreach efforts.”
Testing highlights for this school year include:
ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL: All students in grades K-8 will be assessed in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Science will be assessed in grades 5 and 8, and Social Studies in grades 4 and 6. All Ohio’s State Tests administered in grades 3-8 are taken online in April, with the exception of English Language Arts for grade 3. Third-grade students will have their first opportunity to take the English Language Arts test in November 2016 as part of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.
HIGH SCHOOL: Students scheduled to graduate in 2018 and beyond who were previously or currently enrolled in English I, English II, Algebra 1, Geometry, Biology, and/or American History will take Ohio’s State Tests End-of-Course (EOC) assessments. High school students taking American Government this year are to take the Ohio’s State Test EOC assessment. However, students taking International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement (AP) American Government do not have to take the American Government State test if they are taking the IB or AP exam test.
All seven high school EOC assessments will be taken online. There are two times to take the Ohio’s State Test: fall/winter administration in December 2016 for students attempting to earn additional points and/or who may have previously taken a course this past summer, and in April 2017 for all students currently enrolled this school year. Additional information on requirements for students to graduate in 2018 and beyond is available online at http://tinyurl.com/WCSassessmentupdateAug2016.
For the first time, all high school juniors will take the ACT free of charge on April 19, 2017. The ACT will remain a paper/pencil test.
Students scheduled to graduate in 2017 are required to take and pass the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) in Reading, Mathematics, Writing, Science, and Social Studies. They also may now take a corresponding Ohio’s State Test to meet graduation requirements. The OGT will be a paper/pencil exam administered in late October 2016 and March 2017.
Parents are encouraged to visit http://oh.portal.airast.org/ocba with their children as the American Institute for Research (AIR) continues to add resources, sample items and tutorials for taking online assessments. For a complete summary of all district assessments, go to: http://tinyrul.com/WCSassessmentinventory.
Included below is the WCSD 2016-2017 assessment calendar organized by grade level. This calendar, as well as a version organized by testing dates each month, is available on the district website at www.wcsoh.org.