[Mail_emis] Biology.

[Karen Wilson]

I decided to send this to MVECAland as I feel it is important for all to see.

There has been a lot of discussion about Biology and who tests when.  I sent an email yesterday that was forwarded on to the EMIS helpdesk and received several replies after additional questions from Roger Holbrook.


1.       If a student was enrolled in a Biology Course this year, AP,CCP or regular, they were required to test in Biology if they had not already tested.  Once they have tested there is no requirement to retest.

2.       If any of the above students did not test and did not have a previous Biology EOC score, you will need to do an Appeal and report a score not reported for these students of A-F.

3.       You can enter a score not reported of X for the students that took CCP and put the points in the score filed to report the points to ODE. That does not replace the fact that they are required to test.

4.       The Requirement to test in Biology is a Federal Mandate.

Later last night I received an email from MaryAnn Motley from ODE.  I am copying  it below as it is an excellent explanation of how  Biology works along with a link to ODE's page on Biology.

Karen,

We have a web page devoted to this question.

https://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Testing/Ohios-State-Test-in-ELA-Math-Science-SocialStudies/State-Tests-Content-Preparation-for-Teachers/Science-Test-Specifications-and-Resources/sciencetesthandout.pdf.aspx

If a student takes a biology course, he is expected to take that test in the same year.  This also applies for biology even in cases where a student decides to exercise his option to take a substitute course and test.

What I mean is this.

If a student took biology in 2016-17 and stayed enrolled (meaning he didn't drop it soon after he started), he was expected to take the biology test in that same year.  This same rule applies even if the student is in an AP or IB course or is taking a college credit plus course.    The student should take the test in the same year they take the substitute course even IF they are planning to substitute that course/test for a regular high school biology course/test for graduation.

Where the student has flexibility is in when he takes biology.  Under the old OGT, a student took the OGT in the 10th grade regardless of which courses he was took in that school year.  For end of course tests, a student can take that course anytime in high school - so you will have 12th graders potentially testing just before they graduate.

This link above was created for 2016 when biology was new, but the same rules apply in 2017 to students in 11th grade and lower.

If the student was taking a biology course in 2017 (even the substitute courses), he should have tested.

I think what David was referencing in the EMIS calls is the last ditch testing for kids who may not have ever gotten to those courses.  The rule for testing is that you should test a student when you decide he's completed the standards being tested.   We know that some kids never really get to that point that they are taking full blown biology (like students in a modified curriculum with modified achievement standards because of a significant disability).  However, no one is exempt from testing - so you still have to test them sometime prior to the end of their 4th year of high school.  We will be sending some additional Missing reports next year in the winter for kids in the Class of 2018 where we see no score reported EVER for one or more tests.  It will be a final notice to districts to remind them to test those kids in the spring of 2018 so they have a complete battery of tests reported - even if they don't need to get to 18 points to graduate.

So again - it's not that you can defer a test in cases where the student enrolled in the course - it's that you can defer having the student take the course until later in his high school career.  Feel free to keep this link - it's pretty clear on when a test is expect and which one.

Hope this helps!!

Marianne E. Mottley
Director
Office of Accountability


Please let me know if you have any questions.

Karen

Karen Wilson MCEP
EMIS Support Specialist
Miami Valley Educational Computer Association
330 E. Enon Rd., Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387
937-767-1468 ex 3115
Fax 937-767-1793
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