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Oregon Statewide Assessment System

The Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS) offers a comprehensive evaluation of educational systems rather than focusing solely on individual student performance. The system serves as a valuable tool for students and districts alike. For students, it provides a standardized measure of academic achievement, offering insights into their strengths and areas that may require additional attention. Additionally, the assessment system plays a crucial role in promoting equity in education by identifying potential disparities in educational outcomes across diverse student populations. Importantly, the assessment is not about evaluating individual students, but rather it assesses the overall effectiveness of educational systems and instructional practices. This broader perspective allows districts to identify areas of improvement, implement targeted interventions, and allocate resources strategically to enhance the quality of education. By emphasizing the evaluation of our systems, the state assessment contributes to the continuous improvement of educational practices and ensures a more equitable and impactful learning experience for all students across the state.

 

State Assessment Opt-Out Process

In June of 2015, House Bill 2655 was signed into law and gave families the ability to opt-out of state assessments for English Language Arts and Math for any reason, not just disability or religion. Opt-out requests for any other state assessments must still be due to religious beliefs or disabling conditions. We encourage families to participate in the Oregon State Assessment System.

Our state assessments are the best available assessment to measure students’ progress toward grade-level proficiency on State Standards. Assessment results help our schools and districts compare our performance to others across the state and nation. Students will need to take assessments throughout their lives. If we do not have 95% participation in Oregon State Assessments, our district risks losing federal funding.

We ask families who would like to opt-out of testing to meet with their principal to discuss their concerns about testing. At the meeting, families who want to opt students out of Science, ELPA21 or the Extended assessment would complete the Medford opt-out form, explain their rationale, and provide an alternative learning activity. Families who want to opt students out of taking the Language Arts and Math tests need to fill out the state provided opt-out form and leave with the administrator they are meeting with.

Individual Education Plan (IEP) teams and English Language Learner (ELL) teams will discuss assessment during their meetings and provide information about opting out to families.

If you have further questions, please contact your school principal.