From Cari.White at ode.state.or.us Thu Jan 7 15:18:41 2010 From: Cari.White at ode.state.or.us (WHITE Cari) Date: Thu, 7 Jan 2010 15:18:41 -0800 Subject: [ELPA] Information Regarding the ELPA Practice Test Message-ID: This year, the ELPA is administered as part of the OAKS Online system and the testing window for ELPA opens January 21, 2010. On January 4, 2010, AIR launched an ELPA practice test available at: http://www.oaks.k12.or.us/. To date over 1200 students have successfully started ELPA practice tests and around 650 students have completed their tests. Districts can access the practice test either through the OAKS secure browser or through the Mozilla Firefox web browser. Please note: The ELPA practice test, along with all other OAKS practice tests, does not run on Internet Explorer. Some districts have reported difficulties accessing the ELPA practice test through the OAKS secure browser in cases where the district's computer security settings prevent the secure browser from running properly. If you are experiencing difficulties, please contact your Regional ESD Partner and a representative of ODE or AIR will be in contact to help ensure you have access. Promising Practice: Prior to testing students, try the practice test on the various computer platforms [Windows 98, 2000, XP, Vista, Mac OS X, 10.3.9, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6] your district uses to ensure students will be able to access the ELPA practice test successfully. Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator Office of Assessment and Information Services Oregon Department of Education (503) 947-5878 crystal.greene at state.or.us ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Cari.White at ode.state.or.us Tue Jan 12 16:01:44 2010 From: Cari.White at ode.state.or.us (WHITE Cari) Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:01:44 -0800 Subject: [ELPA] FW: ELPA Practice Test and Extension of Test Window Message-ID: FYI- This was sent out on the Assessment DTC list serve today. Cari White Oregon Department of Education Assessment and Information Services 503-947-5821 Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. From: assessmentdtc-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us [mailto:assessmentdtc-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of GREENE Crystal Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 3:50 PM To: 'AssessmentDTC at listsmart.osl.state.or.us' Subject: [AssessmentDTC] ELPA Practice Test and Extension of Test Window ELPA Practice Test and Extension of Test Window Note: On computers for which the ELPA practice test works (i.e. moves past the sound check page) using the secure browser, no action is needed. Many students have successfully used the ELPA practice tests in districts throughout Oregon. As of January 12, 2010, 2829 students have successfully begun the practice test, and 1716 of these have completed it. To date, the ELPA has successfully passed performance testing with 1000 concurrent users matching ODE's blue print. However, students in some districts have reported difficulty with the ELPA Practice Test. ODE's test vendor, American Institutes for Research (AIR), has identified the cause of this problem and has developed several approaches to fixing the issue. Because of the impact this delay has had on some districts' ability to use the practice test, ODE is extending the close of the ELPA test window to May 17th (originally the close was May 10th). The problem and solution: Macintosh: Districts have experienced a conflict between the sound card and the secure browser with students reporting "scratching sound" from their headsets on Mac 10.4, 10.5, and 10.6. AIR has identified the issue, consulted with Oregon districts, and is testing a server-side fix. The implementation of the server-side fix for the Mac OS X browsers will be announced when performance testing is complete, we anticipate that this will be by Thursday 1/14/2010. Microsoft Windows: Districts have experienced difficulty accessing the ELPA practice test when district security settings in Windows environments conflict with the Secure Browser's attempt to write a key to a registry. This key is used by the OAKS Secure Browser to enable Java to function; Java is required for certain ELPA item types. AIR is currently working with individual districts reporting this conflict to deploy successful fixes. There are at least three solutions from which districts may choose to address this issue. ODE suggests that option 1 below may be the best solution for many districts. Option 1 - Install an Updated Windows Secure Browser: Install an updated browser, OaksSecureBrowser 3.1 for Windows (Note - Windows is the only operating system impacted by this conflict). This browser will be tested by some districts by Friday 1/15/10 and pending successful testing will be available by Wednesday 1/20 at 7:00 am (PST). http://www.oaks.k12.or.us/browsers/default.html Option 2 - Log in as Administrator, Once Per Machine: A user with administrator rights may log in on the affected Windows machine(s), open the Secure Browser, and follow the directions sent to the IT Director to permanently write the needed key in the registry on the machine. This option will be available tomorrow, Wednesday 1/13 at 7:00 am (PST). Option 3 - Push Out a Registry Key Fix : Push out a registry key fix to all district computers. IT directors have been sent this fix. Please note regarding the Microsoft Windows issue: This issue impacts ELPA and will also impact OAKS Online after spring break. After spring break, ODE will field test a new item type through OAKS Online which will use Java. If your district is experiencing difficulties with the ELPA practice test now, please ensure you employ a fix on ALL Windows computers used for student testing - not just those computers used for ELPA. If you do not address this issue, the new item types in OAKS Online this spring will not deploy. ODE is working with its regional assessment and accountability partners to best serve our districts and students. Please contact your Regional ESD Partner Helpdesk if you encounter any issues. Your Regional ESD Partner will have more details throughout the week. Note: Your district IT director has been asked to contact the AIR helpdesk directly if they have any questions or if none of the provided fixes are feasible. The message sent to IT directors is attached for your reference. Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator Office of Assessment and Information Services Oregon Department of Education (503) 947-5878 crystal.greene at state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ELPA Practice Test and Extension of Test Window-for ITdirectors.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 20605 bytes Desc: ELPA Practice Test and Extension of Test Window-for IT directors.docx URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: ATT00001.txt URL: From Cari.White at ode.state.or.us Thu Jan 28 14:44:08 2010 From: Cari.White at ode.state.or.us (WHITE Cari) Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:44:08 -0800 Subject: [ELPA] OAKS Online Windows Secure Browser 3.1 Message-ID: Good afternoon, If ELPA is working well for your district, you may ignore the rest of this message. An updated Windows secure browser is now available with installation instructions at http://www.oaks.k12.or.us/browsers/default.html. This browser is available to districts that continue to have difficulty with the ELPA in Windows environments. Some districts have experienced difficulty accessing the ELPA when district security settings in Windows environments conflict with the Secure Browser's attempt to write a key to a registry. This key is used by the OAKS Secure Browser to enable the version of Java embedded in the Secure Browser to function; Java is required for certain ELPA item types. Supplemental Installation Instructions for installing the Windows Secure Browser 3.1 are available at: http://www.oaks.k12.or.us/browsers/default.html under "Download the Windows Browser." When installing the Windows Secure Browser 3.1 through a network or on the network in a shared drive setup, districts must use these supplemental instructions that are attached for your convenience. Please note: On January 12 ODE sent a communication with two other options for fixing this issue. As described above, if either of these options were successfully deployed, then there is no reason to install 3.1. The Other Options that were described on January 12 include: -Log in as Administrator, Once Per Machine: A user with administrator rights may log in on the affected Windows machine(s), open the Secure Browser, and follow the directions sent to the IT Director to permanently write the needed key in the registry. -Push Out a Registry Key Fix: Push out a registry key fix to all district computers. IT directors have been sent this fix. (Click here for the email sent to IT Directors with details on these fixes). Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator Office of Assessment and Information Services Oregon Department of Education (503) 947-5878 crystal.greene at state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Directions for Installing the Secure Browser.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 18451 bytes Desc: Directions for Installing the Secure Browser.docx URL: From Cari.White at ode.state.or.us Tue Feb 9 15:48:48 2010 From: Cari.White at ode.state.or.us (WHITE Cari) Date: Tue, 9 Feb 2010 15:48:48 -0800 Subject: [ELPA] ELPA Speaking freezing with some Mac OS 10.4 and OS 10.5 computers Message-ID: Date: February 9, 2010 Subject: ELPA Speaking freezing with some Mac OS 10.4 and OS 10.5 computers Some students working in the Mac OS 10.4 and Mac OS 10.5 operating systems have had computers that cease to respond (freeze) while taking the ELPA Speaking assessment. When this happens students can resume testing by restarting their computer or moving to another computer. This situation only impacts some Macintosh computers. One impacted district with both PCs and Macs has reported that the ELPA Speaking assessment is being completed on PCs while Macs are being used successfully for the ELPA Reading/Writing/Listening assessment. American Institutes for Research is working in collaboration with ODE and impacted districts to correct this problem as quickly as possible. Currently, AIR and its partner districts are unable to replicate the issue on their computers and are working to simulate the issue by configuring additional computers similar to the affected computers and also borrowing computers from districts as necessary. It is believed that the issue is isolated to the software on the server and will not require additional action by school districts to resolve. Districts that encounter this issue should report it to the AIR Help Desk at 1-866-509-6257. Helpdesk support is available throughout Oregon's testing window, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PST) Cari White Oregon Department of Education Assessment and Information Services 503-947-5821 Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: ATT00001.txt URL: From Cari.White at ode.state.or.us Mon Feb 22 07:40:50 2010 From: Cari.White at ode.state.or.us (WHITE Cari) Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:40:50 -0800 Subject: [ELPA] ELPA Q/A - Assessment and Accountability Update - February 19, 2010 Message-ID: We are forwarding this week's Assessment and Accountability Newsletter. This week's newsletter includes questions and answers about the ELPA and ELPA Speaking tests. If you would like to receive this newsletter on a regular basis, please fill out your information here: http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/mailman/listinfo/ayprcupdates. Cari White Oregon Department of Education Assessment and Information Services 503-947-5821 Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. From: assessmentdtc-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us [assessmentdtc-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of GREENE Crystal [Crystal.Greene at ode.state.or.us] Sent: Friday, February 19, 2010 8:57 AM To: 'AssessmentDTC at listsmart.osl.state.or.us' Subject: [AssessmentDTC] Assessment and Accountability Update - February 19, 2010 Good morning, The latest Assessment & Accountability Update is now available online at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/wma/teachlearn/testing/asmtacty_update_2_19_10.pdf You can access this and past issues of the AA Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: * Winter Writing Test Window Closes February 26 * Math Read-Aloud Training Materials Online * Reminder: New Item Types Coming this Spring * Deployment of Practice Tests for New Item Types and Grade 3 Spanish Reading * Updates to the 2009-10 TAM * Extended Assessment Reminders * Testing Transfer Students * ELPA Q & A * Receiving Online Writing Scores Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator Office of Assessment and Information Services Oregon Department of Education (503) 947-5878 crystal.greene at state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: ATT00001.txt URL: From Cari.White at ode.state.or.us Mon Mar 8 11:34:30 2010 From: Cari.White at ode.state.or.us (WHITE Cari) Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 11:34:30 -0800 Subject: [ELPA] Spanish 3rd Grade Reading Practice Test Message-ID: To: DTCs Re: Spanish 3rd Grade Reading Practice Test This spring ODE will offer a Grade 3 Spanish Reading test through the OAKS Online system. The testing window for this new assessment will be from March 29 through April 23. Grade 3 ELL students may take the OAKS Spanish Reading assessment as one of their three online Reading opportunities. Pending approval by the U.S. Department of Education in Summer 2010, students' results on the OAKS Grade 3 Spanish Reading assessment may be used to meet 2009-10 accountability requirements. However, to ensure that students are counted for accountability purposes, all students taking the Grade 3 OAKS Spanish Reading assessment must also take the OAKS Reading assessment in English. Those who do not take the OAKS Reading assessment in English may be counted as non-participants. A practice test for Grade 3 Spanish Reading is now available on the OAKS Portal. TAs are encouraged to use this practice test to help familiarize students with the system and ensure that they are able to do their best work on the test. This new practice test is available on the OAKS portal at: https://oakspt.tds.airast.org/Student/Default.aspx. Note: to access the Grade 3 Spanish Reading test, simply change the language at the top of the practice test selection page to Spanish and choose the regular grade 3 reading test. If you have questions, please contact your Regional ESD Helpdesk. Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator Office of Assessment and Information Services Oregon Department of Education (503) 947-5878 crystal.greene at state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Crystal.Greene at ode.state.or.us Wed Mar 17 10:55:33 2010 From: Crystal.Greene at ode.state.or.us (GREENE Crystal) Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:55:33 -0700 Subject: [ELPA] Release of ELPA data at 4:00 today Message-ID: Good morning, The following information on ELPA data was just sent out to District Test Coordinators: ELPA tests are scored in batches. ODE extended the capture of ELPA data to February 12 for the first batch to ensure that districts affected by technical difficulties could still get the data back by March 17 and proceed with needed ELL exiting procedures. Tests completed by February 12th (the first batch) are on schedule to be in Student Centered Staging later today, at 4:00 p.m. The second batch (tests completed and submitted between February 13 and 28 ) will be available in Student Centered Staging by April 15. Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator Office of Assessment and Information Services Oregon Department of Education (503) 947-5878 crystal.greene at state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Crystal.Greene at ode.state.or.us Thu Mar 25 14:45:14 2010 From: Crystal.Greene at ode.state.or.us (GREENE Crystal) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:45:14 -0700 Subject: [ELPA] ELPA Data in Student Centered Staging Message-ID: Good afternoon, The following was just sent out to District Test Coordinators regarding ELPA data. To: DTCs Re: ELPA Data in Student Centered Staging On March 17, the first batch of ELPA test scores were made available in Student Centered Staging. This week, ODE discovered processing errors related to the Standard Error of Measurement and Accommodations Codes. These processing errors did not impact ELPA scale scores or the proficiency levels; the ELPA scale scores and proficiency levels in Student Centered Staging are correct. ODE loaded the corrected Standard Error of Measurement and Accommodations Codes in Student Centered Staging on Thursday, March 25 at 9:00am. Our apologies for any confusion or inconvenience these errors may have caused and thank you for your patience as we worked to resolve it. Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator Office of Assessment and Information Services Oregon Department of Education (503) 947-5878 crystal.greene at state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Cari.White at ode.state.or.us Tue Apr 13 14:32:38 2010 From: Cari.White at ode.state.or.us (WHITE Cari) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:32:38 -0700 Subject: [ELPA] Grade 3 Spanish Reading Assessment Message-ID: To: Title III Directors Re: Grade 3 Spanish Reading Assessment Grade 3 Spanish Reading Assessment ODE would like to remind districts that the 3rd grade Spanish reading assessment is available through Friday, April 23. Grade 3 ELL students who have taken the OAKS English Reading assessment may also take the OAKS Spanish Reading assessment as one of their three online Reading opportunities. Pending approval by the U.S. Department of Education in Summer 2010, students' results on the OAKS Grade 3 Spanish Reading assessment may be used to meet 2009-10 accountability requirements. However, to ensure that students are counted for accountability purposes, all students taking the Grade 3 OAKS Spanish Reading assessment must also take the OAKS Reading assessment in English. Students must complete their tests by the close of the test window: Friday, April 23. All tests will be submitted on the 23rd and students will not be able to access or complete tests after that date. Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator Office of Assessment and Information Services Oregon Department of Education (503) 947-5878 crystal.greene at state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Cari.White at ode.state.or.us Tue Apr 20 15:38:50 2010 From: Cari.White at ode.state.or.us (WHITE Cari) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:38:50 -0700 Subject: [ELPA] Grade 3 Spanish Reading Test Message-ID: To: DTCs and Title III Directors Re: Grade 3 Spanish Reading Test This spring, ODE has been offering a grade 3 native Spanish language reading assessment for ELL students. The test window for this assessment was scheduled to close this Friday, April 23. However, due to increased district interest in participating in this assessment, ODE has decided to extend the test window for one week. The Grade 3 Spanish Reading assessment will now be open through April 30, 2010. If there is sufficient participation this spring, ODE will apply to the US Department of Education for permission to use results of this test for accountability purposes. Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator Office of Assessment and Information Services Oregon Department of Education (503) 947-5878 crystal.greene at state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Cari.White at ode.state.or.us Wed Apr 28 15:39:26 2010 From: Cari.White at ode.state.or.us (WHITE Cari) Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:39:26 -0700 Subject: [ELPA] District Test Coordinators and Title III Directors Message-ID: To: District Test Coordinators and Title III Directors Re: ELPA Scores This year, ODE moved to a new administration system of ELPA which included enhancements designed to better assess student's English language proficiency and make the test more user friendly. Some districts have reported concerns that their students are scoring higher on ELPA this year, compared to last year. ODE staff sincerely hope that the higher scores are the result of a greater focus on instructional best practice that increased student learning. However, we want to proceed with caution and ensure that students who still need ELL services are not being exited prematurely. Our goal is to ensure that student scores accurately reflect students' true level of English language proficiency. Based on the two initial sets of ELPA data scored to date, ODE believes that it is possible that the enhancements may have had a greater than anticipated impact on student scores. In order to ensure the consistency of scores from year to year, ODE staff will conduct an additional item-level analysis to determine if scores need to be adjusted, taking into consideration the enhancements to the system. In order to minimize confusion over scores, ODE staff has asked for previously posted ELPA data to be temporarily removed from the OAKS online reporting system starting Thursday, April 29. This data will be reposted once the data review has been completed. Please share this information with district staff who access this data through the OAKS reporting system. ODE will provide updates on this situation during the coming weeks. ODE understands that districts are in the process of making important decisions based in part on these scores and we recommend that you take this information into consideration as you make those decisions. As always, district staff should follow their approved exiting criteria when making exiting decisions. If you have questions about this or other topics, please feel free to contact your Regional ESD Partner. Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator Office of Assessment and Information Services Oregon Department of Education (503) 947-5878 crystal.greene at state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Cari.White at ode.state.or.us Tue May 11 15:47:58 2010 From: Cari.White at ode.state.or.us (WHITE Cari) Date: Tue, 11 May 2010 15:47:58 -0700 Subject: [ELPA] ELPA Rescore Message-ID: To: Superintendents, District Test Coordinators and Title III Directors Re: ELPA Rescore This year, ODE moved to a new test delivery system for the ELPA which included enhancements designed to better assess student's English language proficiency. The changes to the system made the test more user-friendly and provided better descriptions of students' skills. However, ODE has discovered that these enhancements have also had an unintended impact on student scores, resulting in some students scoring higher on the ELPA this year. In order to ensure that student scores accurately reflect students' true level of English language proficiency, ODE has rescored all ELPA tests administered this year to account for the enhancements to the ELPA test delivery system. ODE plans to provide updated ELPA scores in Student Centered Staging by noon on Wednesday, May 19. In order to accommodate this rescore process, the scores originally slated to be posted May 14 will now be available on May 19 along with the scores removed from staging during this review process. ODE understands that districts are in the process of making important decisions based in part on these scores and we appreciate your patience as we work to provide the most accurate information possible. Doug Kosty Assistant Superintendent Office of Assessment and Information Services Oregon Department of Education 255 Capitol St NE Salem, OR 97310 Phone: 503-947-5825 Fax: 503-378-5156 doug.kosty at state.or.us ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Cari.White at ode.state.or.us Wed May 12 13:38:30 2010 From: Cari.White at ode.state.or.us (WHITE Cari) Date: Wed, 12 May 2010 13:38:30 -0700 Subject: [ELPA] OAKS Slowness Resolved - OAKS Online and ELPA test window extended Message-ID: To: DTCs Re: OAKS Slowness Resolved - OAKS Online and ELPA test window extended On Tuesday, May 11, some students and TAs experienced slowness with the OAKS Student and TA Interfaces. AIR has been actively investigating the root cause of this issue and suspects there may have been a hardware problem. To address this, AIR switched to a new server last night and it appears that testing has now returned to normal. However, due to the impact yesterday's systems problems had on student testing, ODE is granting a two day extension to the Testing Window for OAKS Online and ELPA. The Testing Window will now close on Wednesday, May 19. If you are still experiencing slowness or connectivity issues, please contact your regional ESD partner. Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator | Office of Assessment and Information Services | Oregon Department of Education ? 503.947.5878 | ? 503.378.5156 | *crystal.greene at state.or.us | www.ode.state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Crystal.Greene at ode.state.or.us Wed May 12 16:28:54 2010 From: Crystal.Greene at ode.state.or.us (GREENE Crystal) Date: Wed, 12 May 2010 16:28:54 -0700 Subject: [ELPA] Assessment and Accountability Update - May 12, 2010 Message-ID: Good afternoon, The Assessment & Accountability Update for May 12, 2010 is now available online at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/wma/teachlearn/testing/asmtacty_update_5_12_10.pdf You can access this and past issues of the Assessment & Accountability Update on the ODE website. In This Issue: * OAKS Online and ELPA Test Window Extended * ELPA Rescore Clarification * Seeking Focus Group Participants * Winter Writing Paper-Pencil Test Records Available * WebEx Meetings with Tony Alpert * Essential Skills Toolkit WebEx * Cohort Graduation Rate Release * 2010 Regional DTC Trainings * Extended Assessment Opportunities Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator | Office of Assessment and Information Services | Oregon Department of Education ? 503.947.5878 | ? 503.378.5156 | *crystal.greene at state.or.us | www.ode.state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Crystal.Greene at ode.state.or.us Wed May 19 12:30:40 2010 From: Crystal.Greene at ode.state.or.us (GREENE Crystal) Date: Wed, 19 May 2010 12:30:40 -0700 Subject: [ELPA] ELPA Scores Posted in Student Centered Staging Message-ID: To: DTCs and Title III Directors Re: ELPA Scores Posted in Student Centered Staging As referenced in an email sent to DTCs and Title III Directors on Tuesday, May 11, ELPA tests have been rescored to account for the enhancements to the ELPA test delivery system. Updated ELPA scores are now available in Student Centered Staging for district download. The updated scores for tests completed by February 28 are now available in staging as are the majority of scores for tests completed between March 1 and March 31. There are around 900 March ELPA tests which are still undergoing final quality assurance. More information on the availability of these ELPA scores will be including in the upcoming Assessment and Accountability Updates. Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator | Office of Assessment and Information Services | Oregon Department of Education ? 503.947.5878 | ? 503.378.5156 | *crystal.greene at state.or.us | www.ode.state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Cari.White at ode.state.or.us Mon May 24 15:43:07 2010 From: Cari.White at ode.state.or.us (WHITE Cari) Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 15:43:07 -0700 Subject: [ELPA] Seeking Participants for Math Standards Setting Message-ID: To: Title III directors RE: Seeking participants for Math Standards Setting This summer, ODE will be gathering stakeholders together for a math standards setting. The success of this standards setting is reliant on having a strong and diverse set of participants. We encourage you to nominate people with expertise in both math instruction and in working with LEP students to participate in this process. See the announcement below for more information. Seeking Participants for Math Standards Setting ODE is seeking qualified participants for this summer?s Mathematics Achievement Standards Setting. This August, ODE staff will work with stakeholders from around the stated to review Oregon?s Math Achievement Standards for Grades 3-8 and High School in preparation for adopting revised cut scores for Oregon?s statewide assessment. Please nominate qualified participants to help with this review and in preparing a recommendation to the State Board of Education. You may nominate yourself and you may nominate multiple people. ODE is seeking a diverse panel of participants from around the state including: ? Educators (teachers, principals, superintendents, etc) with extensive experience with K-12 or post-secondary instruction including substantial knowledge of Oregon?s assessments and content standards ? Parents and community members with a solid understanding of the interdependence of instruction, content standards, and assessment To make a nomination, please complete the nomination form available on the ODE website at: - http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/subjects/mathematics/resources/math-standards-setting-nomination-form.doc . This form must be submitted by email by June 7, 2010. If you have questions about the Standards Setting, please contact Jim Leigh at James.Leigh at state.or.us. If you have questions about submitting the nomination form, please contact Carla Martinez at Carla.Martinez at state.or.us. Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator | Office of Assessment and Information Services | Oregon Department of Education ? 503.947.5878 | ? 503.378.5156 | ?crystal.greene at state.or.us | www.ode.state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Crystal.Greene at ode.state.or.us Fri May 28 14:50:17 2010 From: Crystal.Greene at ode.state.or.us (GREENE Crystal) Date: Fri, 28 May 2010 14:50:17 -0700 Subject: [ELPA] ELPA Rescore Message Message-ID: To: DTCs and Title III Directors Re: ELPA Rescore Message ODE understands that school and district staff have a range of questions about why ODE decided to calibrate some ELPA items and rescore ELPA tests this year. At our request, our test vendor, American Institutes for Research, has provided the attached ELPA Rescore Memo. This memo contains technical details about the changes to ELPA this year and the reasons for rescoring ELPA tests. We know that this information is technical and hard to understand and AIR has attempted to provide this information as clearly as possible. However, the memo remains a technical explanation and will not be much use in stakeholder communications. For those of you wishing to communicate with parents or community members about the ELPA rescore, we have provided a sample parent message in both English and Spanish. Please feel free to use this as a basis for your communications with parents and community members on this topic. Again, this is just a template for a parent/community message and you may edit or adjust it as you see fit to best meet the needs of your community. We appreciate your patience this year as we adapt to a new and better system for testing our English Language Learners. We know there have been some challenges, but we have also heard a great deal of support for the new ELPA test. Thank you for all of the feedback you have provided this year on making this the best system possible for our students. Crystal Greene Communications Coordinator | Office of Assessment and Information Services | Oregon Department of Education ? 503.947.5878 | ? 503.378.5156 | *crystal.greene at state.or.us | www.ode.state.or.us Messages to & from this e-mail address may be made available to the public under Oregon law. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Parent Message Spanish.doc Type: application/msword Size: 28672 bytes Desc: Parent Message Spanish.doc URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Parent Message English.doc Type: application/msword Size: 26112 bytes Desc: Parent Message English.doc URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ELPA Rescore memo 5-28-2010.doc Type: application/msword Size: 42496 bytes Desc: ELPA Rescore memo 5-28-2010.doc URL: From Crystal.Greene at ode.state.or.us Mon Jul 12 11:23:53 2010 From: Crystal.Greene at ode.state.or.us (GREENE Crystal) Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:23:53 -0700 Subject: [ELPA] FW: OAR Hearing Notice Message-ID: To: Title III Directors Re: Public input period on OAR 581-022-0617 - Essential Skill Assessments for English Language Learners Pursuant to ORS 183.335(14) NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE RULES HEARING FOR PROPOSED ADOPTION BY THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION Hearing Date: July 21, 2010 - 1:00 p.m. - 2nd Floor, 251A/B - Oregon Department of Education - written or electronic testimony accepted until 7/21 - 5:00 p.m. * 581-022-0617 - Essential Skill Assessments for English Language Learners Proposed Drafts: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?=2841 Search Education OARS http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/rules/OARS_500/OAR_581/581_tofc.html ........................................................................................................................................ What takes place at an OAR Hearing? The purpose of an OAR hearing is to provide an opportunity for public comment on administrative rules proposed for adoption by the State Board of Education. These comments will be made part of the permanent record relating to the rule. In addition to presenting oral comments, anyone may submit written comments about the proposed rule until 5:00 pm on the day of the hearing, which is the close of the public comment time. Cindy Hunt, Legal Affairs Coordinator serves as the department's hearing officer. The hearing will be recorded for permanent record. The hearing officer will open the hearing and read the OAR number and its intention or purpose. The hearing officer will ask those in attendance for oral testimony. Those individuals will be heard. If there is written testimony at this time, it will be submitted. The hearing officer will adjourn the public hearing and will not respond to questions. After the close of the public comment period, the hearing officer will prepare a report to the department which will be available from the department. ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the communication and any attachments. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. ********************************************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: