State change results in more time for classroom teaching

The time spent on required school testing will be cut by up to half this year after the state adopted a different test from the one used last year.

Districts this year will use the American Institutes of Research tests for third through 12th grades after administering the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers assessments last year. The switch will drastically decrease the amount of time spent on standardized testing, according to Ohio Department of Education.

Fourth- and fifth-grade language arts tests have been cut from 300 minutes to 180 and third- through fifth-grade math tests were cut in half from 300 minutes to 150. Sixth- through 12th-grade language arts tests will be reduced from 345 minutes to 210. Sixth- through eighth-math testing has been reduced from 300 minutes to 180. The time for high school math testing is down 44 percent from 320 minutes to 180.

The only subject requiring more test time is third-grade language arts, with an hour increase over the PARCC test for the third grade reading assessment, ODE spokesman Toby Linkly said.

"There will only be one assessment window this year near the end of the school year. This is a welcome change from last year's testing schedule," St. Marys City Schools Testing Coordinator Kim Overman said.

The AIR language arts test can be administered from April 4-29 online or April 4-22 for paper tests. The math, science and social studies tests may be administered from April 4-May 13 online or April 4-May 6 on paper.

School districts can choose which format to use.

"Last year, between PARCC and AIR, testing started in mid- February and ran through mid-May with about a month off between test windows," Overman said.

Districts used AIR for social studies and science testing while PARCC was used for language arts and math.

"Because the tests were being offered by two different sources, this required districts to coordinate testing through two completely different platforms. This year, the tests for all four subjects will be provided by AIR," Overman said.

School administrators welcomed the change.

More teaching will take place this year, St. Marys Memorial High School Principal Bill Ruane said.

Coldwater Exempted Village Schools superintendent Jason Wood also liked the change.

"It give students the opportunity to be in the classroom more," he said.

Former Coldwater superintendent Rich Seas and Tri Star Career Compact board member Randy Kunk were on the Ohio Senate Advisory Committee on Testing earlier this year that adopted the change.

Assessments are broken into two sessions, which can be administered in one long session or split between two days, Overman said.

The PARCC language arts and math tests took an average of four or five sessions over several days, she added.

School districts will receive test results by the end of June, according to the ODE.

The AIR tests will cost the state $48 million this year, according to Linkly. The state last year spent $26 million on PARCC tests and $45.5 million on AIR.

Last year's PARCC and AIR testing delayed the release of district report cards this year.

The ODE typically releases the report cards in August or September but will not distribute them until January due to the transition to the PARCC and AIR tests, Linkly said. The department will resume the traditional release schedule for the 2015-2016 school year, which means districts will receive two report cards in 2016.