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Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states must continue annual statewide tests in reading/language arts and mathematics to all students in grades 3-8 and once in high school, as well as in science at least once in each of grades 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12. This table summarizes the required statewide assessments for all children in Ohio public Schools:
In Ohio, children with disabilities are expected to participate in all required state assessments. They can access in 3 ways:
1. Participation in the general assessment without accommodations (most students)
2. Participation in the general assessment with allowable accommodations (some students with disabilities and English language learners)
3. Participation in an alternate assessment (small number of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities)
How a child with a disability accesses state assessment is an IEP team decision that must be based on data. While most children with disabilities can access the assessments without accommodations, some will need the support of allowable accommodations and a few (about 1% of the tested population) will need to participate using the Alternate Assessment for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities (AASCD). Teams will need to review what accommodations the child needs in the instructional setting to be able to access and progress in the general curriculum and then use the Accessibility Manual to see which of those are allowable for state assessments. If AASCD is being considered by the team, they will need to use the AASCD Decision Making Tool to support their decision.
An additional consideration when determining how children will access statewide assessments in high school is the impact this decision may have on graduation. In order to be considered a federal graduate from high school or be considered to have graduated by standard requirements, children must meet 3 outcomes:
Course Completion
Students will satisfy Ohio’s curriculum requirements and any additional local requirements. Students will complete the state minimum 20 units, with specific units required in each content area.Competency Demonstration
Students will demonstrate competency in the foundational areas of English language arts and mathematics or through alternative demonstrations which include College Credit Plus, career-focused activities or military enlistment.Readiness Demonstration
Students will demonstrate readiness for their post-high school paths by earning two seals that allow them to demonstrate important foundational and well-rounded academic and technical knowledge, professional skills, social and emotional competencies, and leadership and reasoning skills.
The competency outcome is linked to Ohio End of Course Exams (EOC) for ELA and Math. Children with disabilities may be excused from the consequences of passing EOCs if the IEP team determines this is what is best for the child. But once a child is excused, they can no longer meet the competency demonstration by testing therefore they will not be considered a graduate by standard requirements. Teams must consider alternate pathways for all children who cannot demonstrate competence by achieving the minimum required score on the ELA and Math assessments.
For more information about graduation pathways for all learners please view the Graduation Options video in the resources section below.
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