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Oregon Extended Assessment (ORExt)

Purpose

Oregon's Extended Assessments are alternate assessments designed specifically for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The decision to administer Oregon's Extended Assessment (the alternate assessment) can only be made by the student's IEP team -- including the parent. Because Extended Assessments are based on alternate achievement standards with content that is reduced in depth, breadth, and complexity, test results from these assessments are not comparable to results achieved on the state's general assessment, in spite of the similarity in performance category.

Alternate Assessment Decision Making Guidance
ODE has guidance on the selection process used by IEP teams in determining whether a student should take the Oregon Extended Assessments. It takes into account current policies and focuses on ensuring that the right students are taking the Oregon Extended Assessments.

ESSA, ORExt Assessment 1% Participation Cap Requirements and Reporting
The 2015 reauthorization of ESEA known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reaffirmed that an alternate assessment aligned to alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) is the appropriate assessment for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. It also placed the 1% cap on state participation rate for each subject based on the total number of students in the state assessed in each subject (34 CFR 200.6(c)(2)). The law requires LEAs who plan to exceed the 1% participation cap to submit information justifying the need to exceed the cap, and the state must provide oversight to those LEAs (34 CFR 200.6(c)(3)(ii-iii)).

Achievement (also called “Performance") Standards define the requirements for a student to meet and exceed on Oregon's Extended Assessment (ORExt) by content area and grade. An achievement standard is an objective definition of a certain level of performance in a content area at a particular grade, in terms of a cut score or a range of scores on the ORExt psychometric scale. 

​All Alternate Achievement Level Descriptors for the ORExt assume that student curriculum and assessment is based on content standards that have been reduced in depth, breadth, and complexity. This means that ORExt results cannot be used to compare to the results of students who are taking the general assessments and who are in the same enrolled grade.

Under the C&I Resources tab on the Oregon Extended Assessment Training & Proficiency website you will find the following useful resources: pre-requisite skills, Curricular & Instruction templates, the achievement standards, descriptors and benchmarks for ELA, Math and Science, training modules on Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP), and Individual Education Plan (IEP) development process resources. These curricular and instructional resources are for Oregon educators working with students with significant cognitive disabilities (SWSCD), but many of the materials will be useful for all special and many general education  educators. All resources are built from the Essentialized Standards (EsSt) that the Oregon Extended Assessment (ORExt) was designed from, published as Essentialized Assessment Frameworks (EAFs).​

ELA Standards, Math Standards, Science Standards​


Oregon Extended Assessment Training and Proficiency Site (Account required to access site content)
  • To administer the Extended Assessments to students in the State of Oregon, educators must be appropriately trained as a Qualified Assessor (QA). All users must have a username and password to log on to the site. In order to be designated as a QA or QTC, educators must meet all eligibility requirements and complete all training requirements as outlined in sections 1.4 - User Roles and Responsibilities and 1.5 - Training Requirements of the Summative Test Administration Manual.
  • Users who would like to gain access to the site, without going through the training process of becoming a QA or QTC, are able to register for an account on the homepage, and will have access with limited permissions.
  • 2024-25 Oregon Extended Assessment Training Redesign
    This document provides an overview of the changes to the ORExt Assessment user types, qualifications, responsibilities, and training requirements starting the 2024-25 school year.

Sample tests demonstrate the types of questions students might encounter on the Oregon Statewide Extended Assessment. To access sample tests for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and/or Science for grades 3-8 and 11, go to the main login page of the Oregon Extended Assessment Training & Proficiency website and click on the “Practice Test" link at the bottom of the page. No account is required to access the ORExt Practice Tests.​​

Technical reports for the Oregon Extended Assessment dating back to 2014-15 are available on request due to the size of the files. Please email ​ODE.AssessmentTeam@ode.oregon.gov if you would like to receive a copy of the most recent report or any historical files. ​

​Regional Assessment Support 
Assessment Support ESD Partner List

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For additional information and/or questions regarding assessment and accountability related support, contact Mason Rivers, ODE Special Education Assessment Specialist.