Olentangy Local Schools earned the state’s highest rating possible of “Excellent with Distinction” on the 2008-09 local report card. This is the sixth year in a row that Olentangy has earned the highest rating possible on the ODE report card. In addition, all 19 schools included on the report card earned a rating of “Excellent” or higher. Earning this designation and achieving specific benchmarks on other key areas of the report card places Olentangy Local Schools among the top seven percent of all school districts in Ohio.
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2009-2010 Testing Information

Olentangy students annually participate in districtwide and statewide testing. This information helps us to assess the overall achievement of our students, schools and the rigor of our curriculum. Standardized tests provide a yearly “check-up” or opportunity to take a snapshot of a student’s performance as compared with the achievement levels of students across the district, state and nation. However, the most important component of our assessment program is the daily assessment by our teachers, which provides authentic and extensive information about each student’s current performance. Olentangy’s Continuous Improvement Plan outlines the districtwide area of concentration on curriculum with the focus being “to clearly articulate quality learning targets that directly align curriculum to assessment and instruction”. Please discuss with your child(ren) the different learning targets taught in their classrooms; research supports and our staff members believe that this focus will help increase overall student achievement. Classroom achievement data and districtwide/statewide test data provide different yet valuable information to meet the needs of every student and improve our curriculum.

Please note the standardized testing windows for your student’s grade level on the second page of the 2009-10 Testing Letter. Dates listed in the letter include make-up testing. Students are not tested every day within the test window. Our department reviews our testing regimen annually; therefore you may notice a change in the tests we are giving our students. Please note that due to state budget cuts the Ohio Department of Education has suspended the fourth-grade writing, seventh-grade writing, fifth-grade social studies and eighth-grade social studies Ohio Achievement Tests; therefore Olentangy is exploring other ways to assess social studies achievement to ensure we facilitate maximum learning for all students. Any changes to the testing schedule will be communicated at the building level.

The Ohio Achievement and Ohio Graduation Tests are state-mandated and provide results that are reported on the Local Report Card for grades three through eight and 10. The TerraNova is a national norm-referenced test that is given at grades two, three, four, six, and seven. The InView, which is a test of general school ability, is paired with the TerraNova at grades two, three, and seven to meet the state requirement for gifted screening.

State and national tests are secure documents; therefore students must understand the importance of test security and confidentiality. Please review the importance of confidentiality with your child prior to testing. The most common test security violation is students discussing test items with peers, teachers and/or parents. Test security violations can result in invalid test scores and other consequences as outlined in the student handbook.

If you have questions about district testing, please feel free to contact your child’s building principal, guidance counselor, classroom teacher or me. Thank you for your continued support and partnership, as we work together to maximize learning for every student.

Sincerely,
Jaclyn Roscoe, District Test Coordinator