? for teachers re: ohio achievment tests

[DISNEMOM]

I just realized that my DD will miss 1 out of the 3 days of OAT at school, she is in 4th grade. I spoke w/her principal about it, and she cannot take the last day of testing early, and we will be out of town until after the last day of makeups. So, she will not be able to make this up at all. I wanted to know how this would affect her grades, passing to 5th grade. All the principal would say was "the state thinks badly of this" . She wants us to rearrange our vacation, which we cannot do. We are going w/other family members, and just cannot change the dates. Do you think this will affect her passing her to the next grade? The first 2 days of testing should still count right?
Thanks for your help!

 

[daisyduck123]

Hi! I'm an elementary teacher in another state, but I would pretty much bet that there is no way that missing one day of a state test for a 4th grader would deny her promotion to the next grade. I'm sure a Ohio teacher will chime in here soon with the same statement.

 

[design_mom]

I am not a teacher (but I do live in Ohio.) I found this on the OAT web site:

What happens if my child is not proficient on the achievement tests?
These test results are one of the factors, but not the sole factor, that teachers use to evaluate a childs readiness to move to the next grade. Teachers also look at the childs attendance, classroom participation and class work to determine whether the child is ready to be promoted. If your child does not score at or above the proficient level on any of the tests, this is a sign that he or she is having difficulty learning the skills and knowledge expected of the grade level and may need additional help. You may wish to talk to your childs teacher(s) about the test results and the resources that can help ensure his or her success.​

I don't think it sounds like your daughter would fail third grade if she didn't take the test, especially if she does well in her regular classroom work. It's only *one* of the things the teacher considers... and if her score was artificially low because she wasn't there on test day, then I think that would be taken into consideration.

However, it also sounds like the Ohio Department of Education uses a school's performance (overall) on the OAT as a way to rank schools... so I'm sure it's important to the principal that your daughter take the test and do well on it, because her score would affect the school's score and the principal is probably judged on the school's overall OAT score.

http://ohio3-8.success-ode-state-oh-us.info/faqs.aspx#c

 

[tiggertabi]

While it will not as much adversely affect your daughter, it will adversely affect your school. Schools are giving "scores" and one of those scores if percentage is the test participation percentage. Schools are required to test 100% of students and are penalized in a sense for not testing someone. This is why at our school we made sure to notify parents that they could NOT be gone during testing!

 

[lam712]

What happens if a child is ill on the testing dates- there are no make-up dates or retakes? If not, it seems like a crazy system.
If the state is grading schools so strongly on the scores, perhaps each school should hold the children hostage during the week to ensure they get 100% compliance

 

[lastminutemom]

What happens if a child is ill on the testing dates- there are no make-up dates or retakes? If not, it seems like a crazy system.
If the state is grading schools so strongly on the scores, perhaps each school should hold the children hostage during the week to ensure they get 100% compliance

There are make up days.. the OP is going to be gone during them.

You might inquire if it would simply be better for you to withdraw you child the day before testing begins and then reenroll him/her when you return. (I have no idea how many days of school you are missing, but I am guessing more than 5.)

In our state, in some grades, the state test is high stakes. In otherwords, you have to pass it in order to move up. It sounds like in Ohio, this test is just one consideration of promotion. Is your child doing well in school? Is there any chance that someone would think they should be retained?

In our state, in the high stakes testing grades, there is a summer retake. I imagine, in states where the test is not the trigger for retention, there may not be a retake option.

 

[DISNEMOM]

thanks for the answers. my dd is getting b's in school right now. i am just thinking the principal is going to hold it against her for not taking the test. the principal seems very upset about missing the last day.

 

[disneymom2one]

We often have our middle schooler miss a day or two (once or twice a year) for vacation. It's very rare that she's at school on the day prior to Winter Break or Spring Break.

That being said, we would never have her miss state testing. I don't know what the repercussions are in your state but in our state (the one WDW is in actually), the tests are a big enough deal to where she simply (in our opinion) must be there. Your mileage in Ohio may vary but I would personally never pull her out for any major event - including state testing.

thanks for the answers. my dd is getting b's in school right now. i am just thinking the principal is going to hold it against her for not taking the test. the principal seems very upset about missing the last day.

 

[Aristomommy]

We are in Ohio also and our elementary school testing is over a 2 week period of time and then the week after that there are 4 make up days. Are you going to be gone for a long period of time? Maybe your school district is different or they are trying to discourage the make up days, but our district allow ample time to complete it. As a parent, I want the entire testing done to assess my child's progress. I doubt this will hold her back as far as advancing to 5th, but it will hurt the school when a student doesn't complete the testing.

The Ohio Dept. of Ed. publishes test days a couple of years in advance, so you can check out future dates to avoid this from happening again. Our spring break is also right before the testing and I wouldn't want to take my child out of school right after having 10 days off already. I'm sure it'll work out for your child, but the school must discourage missing a test date.

 

[ariel53098]

The withdrawal option may be a good idea so it doesn't negatively affect the teacher or the school. I don't know about your state, but some states hold it against the teacher if the students don't do well. By withdrawing her, they might not be able to guarantee that she gets the same teacher but it does have the least negative effect on the school.
Keep in mind that these days can be considered unexcused by the school and any work (inlcuding graded work) may not be allowed to be completed thus giving her zeros. As a teacher, I would usually let the kids make it up anyway but since you are putting the school and teacher in a bad situation they may not allow her. This could hurt her averages which will ultimately affect her report card.
Also, they may hold it against you or her on a more sub-conscious level where they might not be flexible in future situations, etc.
Please understand I'm not trying to berate you or make you feel badly. As a former teacher, I'm trying to point out all the possibilities so you can be aware.
Rachel

 

[Tara619]

DH is a 6th grade teacher in OH (and has his masters in edu administration) and said it won't affect her passing to 5th grade. The only thing it could affect is her getting put in higher level classes.
The reason the principal may be coming across as upset is if the district doesn't report that score, the state may look poorly on the school, as if they're possibly hiding a low score (only reporting 2 of the 3 test scores for your DD). And it could affect the school's actual rating.

 

[disneymarie]

I just realized that my DD will miss 1 out of the 3 days of OAT at school, she is in 4th grade. I spoke w/her principal about it, and she cannot take the last day of testing early, and we will be out of town until after the last day of makeups. So, she will not be able to make this up at all. I wanted to know how this would affect her grades, passing to 5th grade. All the principal would say was "the state thinks badly of this" . She wants us to rearrange our vacation, which we cannot do. We are going w/other family members, and just cannot change the dates. Do you think this will affect her passing her to the next grade? The first 2 days of testing should still count right?
Thanks for your help!

I don;t know why they do not have a bag up for sick or absent kids? My dd had severe anxiety and panic last year with bullying. They accomadated her at a different school building and also when she had the chicken pox rescheduled for 10 days later.
That was the PA standardized testings.

 

[ajk912]

I don't think I would risk it. Since you are only talking one day, can you just take a late flight out after school is out that day, that way she doesn't miss testing day? Heck, if they are done testing by noon pull her out at 12:30. Good luck!!!

 

[Aristomommy]

I don;t know why they do not have a bag up for sick or absent kids? My dd had severe anxiety and panic last year with bullying. They accomadated her at a different school building and also when she had the chicken pox rescheduled for 10 days later.
That was the PA standardized testings.

They do offer make up days, but the OP will be on vacation during those days. Our school district (close to OPs) offers 4 make up days the week after testing. It would be an extreme case where a child would be ill for one week and all four days the next week.

ODE gives the testing days years in advance so parents can plan scheduled absences. Right now their website shows 2008-2009, 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 testing dates.

 

[polineedyan]

This is opinion and not fact, but in my opinion, living in ohio and having 4 kids in the system..i dont think that school would fail a child for not being proficient on the statewide test. At that point, the school would take other actions including further testing to accomidate the childs special needs. I know this isnt exactly youre case, but honestly, the state tests do not determine who goes on and who stays or repeats a grade. In my experience, schools arent "flunking" kids anymore. I have a 9th grader who unfortunately is below grade level or was, in a few areas and they still wouldnt hold him back. The school wants your kid there to take the test, because it is these tests that are a contributing factor to the states grade of the district.i dont know what would happen if they failed to take the test altogether..i wish you luck

 

[lady9]

I am a third grade teacher in Ohio. Assuming your child is doing well in school, and Bs would be consider doing well, your child will not be held back because she missed 1 test. However, your school district does have the right to say what days in the school year are not to be missed due to vacation and OAT days are a few of those days in my district. There are about 10-15 test days each year. Your child's vacation may be considered unexcused and, she would not be able to make up the work and that would adversely affect her report card. You will want to check with your district for their specific policy. All that being said, I would strongly encourage you to change your plans and allow your daughter to take the test. Testing is a total of 2 1/2 hours per day in the morning. She would be done before lunch. Your child being enrolled in school and not take the test would impact the school's score in a negative way. I am not against family vacations during the school year but, testing days are another thing. It is a stressful time for everyone, principal, teachers, and students. Your child's principal is trying to do his best job to get the best score he can. Overall, the score the school receives impacts more than most people know. As a side note-when my DS was in the third grade, he missed the fall reading OAT due to illness. He took the make-up test when he returned to school. When the scores came in, he scored in the bottom category-limited. I couldn't believe it because he is a good student. When I asked him about the test, he said he skipped all the writing part because it took too long and his class had gym that day! Thankfully, he retook the test in the spring and score Advanced because he took it in the classroom with his class who were all in the same boat. IMO making up a test is harder because some kids will worry about what they are missing in the classroom while they are testing.

 

[princessmom29]

There has been a lot of talk here about withdrawl and renrolling, but that my not help anyone either. Our school system recently cahnged its policy to prevent unenrolling poorly performing studentsm and students who will be absent before the test. A student unenrolled less than thirty days prior to the test will be counted for scores as a no show if the renroll in the same school within 30 days of the test. Lots of sytems are going to this model to stop abuse of the system to exclude low scores and children who are absent.

 

[njfamilyof6]

We are in the same situation in Nj, We are taking our kids out of school for a week in May and it happens to fall on the week that my dd (4th grade) is taking the state test, Our principal too, showed his unhappiness towards her missing school, however it was the only time our family could go away this year do to my schedule. I am a big fan of kids not missing school, however, I know the importance of family time at a young age and in a few years the kids wont remember that they missed a test, but will have memories of the family trip. so enjoy your trip and you will look back on this and be glad you did it! I also feel that all these tests they put these kids through now are insane.. They spend so much time preparing for this test, that they miss out on real school work.