OHIO ACHIEVEMENT ASSESSMENTS
Spring Administration          Elementary Buildings

Tues., April 20             3^rd           Reading
                                    5th           Reading

Thurs., April 22^nd         3^rd           Math
                                     5^th          Math                                                               

Mon., April 26^th           4^th           Reading
                                     6^th           Reading

Tues., April 27th            5^th           Science

Wed., April 28^th            4^th           Math
                                      6^th           Math               

          Make-ups: Through Friday, May 7

                                                Junior High

Tues., April 20     7^th and 8^th           Reading

Thurs., April 22    7^th and 8^th           Math   

Tues., April 27                  8^th           Science

        Make-ups: Through Friday, April 30

OHIO TEST OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITON (OTELA)

Spring Administration             Monday, February 22 - Friday, February 26

ALTERNATE ASSESSMENT FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES (AASWD)

District begins to collect evidence in September 2009

AASWD –COE binder - Due to district office - Friday, February 19

• State Official OAA site.
• Glossary for Terms related to testing is here.
• Help site for Students and Teachers
• Practice Tests for grades 3-8.
• Released exams and scoring guides for grades 3-8- now available.
• Academic Content Standards - Official State Site.

• Practice Skills at Home
  There are a number of skills that you can easily incorporate into your home routine.    
• Reading
  When reading a book or watching a television show or a movie, ask your child to repeat the plot, the story's characters (including the main character), and the setting. Ask him to retell what happens in the beginning, middle, and end. After you read a book together, ask him questions about what happened.
• Language Arts
  Work on increasing your child's vocabulary by using and defining more difficult words in everyday speech. Use a dictionary to check meaning. Practice using antonyms and synonyms. Have your child become proficient at alphabetical order by organizing materials that way--books, kitchen supplies, videos, etc.
• Writing
  The writing portion of standardized tests usually asks children to respond to a writing "prompt." This prompt is meant to structure their ideas. (For suggestions about incorporating writing prompts into family writing activities, see this issue's "Live and Learn" section.) You may also want to review basic punctuation and capitalization.
• Math
  Rather than concentrating solely on computation, standardized math tests usually involve spatial skills, patterns, and sequencing. Encourage your child to learn to count by twos, threes, and fives. Create graphs based on family activities and practice reading graphs together. Practice time and money concepts.
• Put the Test in Context
  Remind your young learner that these kinds of tests are part of the educational routine. You took them when you were in school and your child, no doubt, will face them a number of times throughout his or her school--and post-school career. Filling in those little boxes or circles with #2 lead pencils is something they'll have to do for years to come!
• Make sure your child is ready. Your child needs to be well-rested and well-fed when test time arrives. She also needs to be mentally prepared. Be sensitive to your child's anxiety. Talking about the test may cause her stress which will negatively affect her results. Instead, think of ways to diffuse the anxiety. Take a brisk walk, plan a game of tag football, draw her a long, hot bath. And, because standardized testing can sometimes go on for as long as a week, build in physical activity and downtime throughout the test-taking period.