Assessment and Accountability Update

April 3, 2025

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GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

SEED Survey Data Use Professional Learning Series, April 4, 2025

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) offers a monthly drop-in professional learning series that is designed to support Oregon school districts to effectively use and interpret data from the Student Educational Equity Development (SEED) survey. The monthly sessions are designed for people who will be working directly with SEED data and data products. However, anyone who is interested is welcome to attend the sessions. Each session will begin with a brief presentation by ODE on a data use topic. The topic for April is Post-Graduation Planning, with ODE's Director of Data Stewardship Isabella Jacoby. Consult the series flyer to learn more or register for sessions.

Contact Audrey Lingley, Education Specialist, with questions or concerns.

DTC Webinar Series

ODE presents the monthly DTC Webinar on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, from 10:00-11:00 AM. To attend, please register for each webinar using this Zoom link. By registering, you will be given the option to add the appointment to your calendar. If you have questions you’d like answered during the webinar’s Q&A session, please submit through this Smartsheet form or contact Crys Plattner, Assessment Administrative Support.

Division 22 Standards Professional Learning Series

The April session of the Division 22 Professional Learning Series will be focused on Comprehensive School Counseling Programs. This series is designed to support district leaders in implementing specific standards and new requirements within Division 22 of the Oregon Administrative Rules. Additional goals of the series include:

• featuring speakers/panels from districts that are innovating and implementing best practices
• sharing practical tools and exemplars
• collaborating on problems of practice

Join us virtually on Friday, April 11th from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m., when we will focus on the following topics:

• Division 22 Hot Topics/Updates from ODE Staff
• Comprehensive School Counseling Programs
  • Implementation Support & Resources
  • Best Practice District Spotlights
    • Breakout Discussions Based on District Size
    • Separate breakout for Charter Schools

Register via Zoom to get the meeting link and add the session to your calendar. Recorded content and materials will be posted on the Division 22 Standards Professional Learning page following each meeting. Dates and registration information for the entire series can be found on the Division 22 Professional Learning Series flier.

Questions? Contact Susan Payne, ODE’s Education Standards and Systems Specialist.

TEST ADMINISTRATION

2024-2025 OSAS Statewide Summative Tests in ELA and Math Now Available for Administration in Grades 3 - 8

The statewide test window for administration of the OSAS English Language Arts (ELA) and Math tests (Grades 3 - 8) opened on April 1, 2025.

• The test window is open for all versions of the tests: online General (in-person and remote) and Alternate (Oregon Extended; in-person only).

As a reminder, prior to beginning a test session, verify that appropriate student accommodations and supports have been accurately set in TIDE. See the Oregon Accessibility Manual for more information about accommodations and supports.

Please contact your District Testing Coordinator or Regional ESD Partner with any questions regarding test administration.

Item Development Recruitment: English Language Arts (ELA) Grades 3 - 8 and High School

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has partnered with Smarter Balanced for the development of new ELA Summative Test items. Item writing development will be held online July 21 - 24, 2025.

When applying for this ELA item writing opportunity, please make sure to complete only the Application for ELA Educator Events information on the Smarter Balanced Educator Recruitment website.

Information on the Smarter Balanced Educator Recruitment website also includes an FAQ page. Educators who might have additional questions about the recruitment process can complete the Smarter Balanced Contact Us Form.

After selecting and confirming the participants, Smarter Balanced will work with participants to coordinate virtual attendance. Participants will receive training and all relevant digital materials to support item development. The meetings are expected to occur on Zoom and accessibility accommodations will be available for participants.

For support navigating the online application, please contact Tony Bertrand, ELA and Social Sciences Assessment Specialist with the Oregon Department of Education.

ELPA

SCIENCE

Summer 2025 OSAS Science Assessment Item Review: Oregon Science Educator Panel Opportunities

This summer, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), in partnership with our vendor, Cambium Assessment, Inc (CAI), will host three Oregon Science Educator Panels. Below are the panel topics, dates, and application details.

• Multi-State Rubric Validation Panel This panel is designed to ensure that assessment scoring is accurate and fair for all students. Participants will review and make recommendations on item scoring and potential rubric adjustments. This panel is completely virtual and will be held in the evenings during the weeks of May 19-22, and June 2-5, 2025. Participants can register for two sessions. Applications are due by 5:00 pm on Friday, April 18, 2025.
• Multi-State Content and Fairness Review Panel Participants will analyze assessment items for alignment to standards, grade-level appropriateness, fairness, potential bias, sensitivity issues, and other quality criteria. This panel is completely virtual and will be held during July 8-10, 2025 (three-day commitment). Stay tuned—more information and application details will be available soon!
• Multi-State Data Review Panel This panel will examine statistical flags and item parameter data to identify potentially problematic content. Educators will review flagged items to determine if they should proceed to operational tests or require adjustments.

This panel is completely virtual and will be held in the evenings during the week of August 25-28, 2025. Participants can register for two sessions. Applications are due by 5:00 PM Friday, April 18, 2025.

Please contact Dr. Mariela Salas Bao, Science Assessment Specialist, for more information or for assistance accessing the application documents.

ACCOUNTABILITY & REPORTING

ELPA Summative and Alt ELPA Batch 2 Scores Available

English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) scores from February 2025 (batch 2) will be available in the Assessment Record Updating Application (ARUA) on the ODE secure district website and also in the Centralized Reporting System (CRS) on the OSAS Portal as of Tuesday, April 8.

Test scores for students participating in Honoring Student Proficiency on the HS ELPA Summative are final as of Tuesday, April 8. As a reminder, this means that a high school student’s Proficient performance on one or more domains from a prior year will be inserted into this year’s test, and scoring for remaining non-exempted domains will complete using that Proficient performance. Please note that scores appearing in the Centralized Reporting System (accessed through the state portal) are unofficial and will not update with final scores due to carried domains. Decisions about retaining or exiting English Learner status should be made based on finalized score reports found in official ODE data applications such as AWE and Secure Assessment Reports.

District Test Coordinators may download or review records in the ARUA to edit accommodation or administration codes (see the Test Administration Manual, Appendix C). If you have questions or need assistance with your assessment data, please contact your Regional ESD Partner.

2024-25 New School Status Requests Due May 1, 2025

Detail Sheets take into account boundary changes due to modifications to attendance areas, restructuring of schools (e.g., consolidation, separation, etc.), or changes to grade configurations. Schools should use the Boundary Change Calculator for 2024-25 Accountability Reports to request New School status if they experience a significant change in student enrollment between school years.

If you feel that it would be appropriate to request New School status, please visit the Accountability Details webpage under the “Tools” menu to access 2024-25 Boundary Change Calculator and other pertinent information.

Please submit required materials for New School Status by May 1, 2025. ODE will respond with a decision concerning the request by mid-June.

For questions please contact Elyse Bean.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

ESSA Test Administration Monitoring

The Self-Assessment is now available, and information has been shared with District Test Coordinators in districts and ESDs being monitored this year. Here’s a quick guide to help clarify the monitoring cycle:

Question:

What is the monitoring cycle?

Answer:

Districts will participate in ESSA Test Administration Monitoring once every five years. The first 5-year monitoring cycle begins in spring 2025. This initial cycle follows this schedule: Year 1: 2025, Year 2: 2026, Year 3: 2027, Year 4: 2028, Year 5: 2029.

Question:

What if I'm unsure which year my district falls into?

Answer:

You can refer to the ESSA Test Administration Monitoring Rotation of Districts document to determine which year your district or ESD is assigned within this first cycle.

For more details, please visit the Assessment Administration page under ESSA Test Administration Monitoring. If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out to ODE Assessment Team.