Westerville City School District (WCSD) officials today announced the release of the district’s final 2017-2018 local testing calendar for students. “We’ve continued to monitor all legislation and Ohio Department of Education requirements for next 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. “Due to greater stability in State assessments going into next school year, this is the first time in many years that we have been able to collaboratively develop the district’s test calendar prior to summer break. Each year our goal is to create a calendar that meets the needs of all stakeholders; clearly articulates the assessments administered at each grade level; meets State requirements, and reflects parental feedback obtained through formal, coordinated outreach efforts.” Testing highlights for School Year 2017-2018 include:
Elementary: One noticeable difference for this upcoming school year is that through passage of Senate Bill 3, the requirement to administer Ohio Department of Education developed diagnostic assessments in grades 1-2 for writing and math, and grade 3 writing, is eliminated; therefore, only State required diagnostics in reading will be administered in grades K-3. All students in grades K-5 will be assessed in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Social Studies in grade 4, and Science in grade 5. All Ohio’s State Tests administered in grades 3-5 are available to take online in April 2018, 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 online in October 2017 as part of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.
Middle School: Students in grades 6-8 will continue to be assessed in English Language Arts and Mathematics, Social Studies in grade 6, and Science in grade 8, with all tests available to take online.
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, American Government, and/or American History will take Ohio’s State Tests End-of-Course (EOC) assessments. 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 are available to take online. There are two times to take the Ohio’s State Tests: Semester I administration in December 2017 for students attempting to earn additional points and/or who may have previously taken a course this past summer; and, Semester II administration in April 2018 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://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Ohio-Graduation-Requirements/Graduation-Requirements-2018-and-Beyond.
For the first time, all high school sophomores (graduation cohort 2020) will take the PSAT free of charge on October 11, 2017. The ACT will be given free to all high school juniors (graduation cohort 2019) March 20, 2018.
Students who were to have graduated in 2017 are still 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 June 2017, October 2017 and March 2018.
For a complete summary of all district assessments, go to: http://tinyurl.com/WCSassessmentinventory. A one-page document outlining the WCSD 2017-2018 assessment calendar organized by grade level, as well as a version organized by testing dates each month, is available via the following links: http://tinyurl.com/WCS2017-18testingbygrade1page ; http://tinyurl.com/WCS2017-18testingbymonth ; or, on the district website at http://www.wcsoh.org/administrativeDepartment.aspx?aid=78