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Board members question Smarter Balanced (OSAS) test accessibility and usefulness; district studies alternative assessments
Summary
Board members and administrators discussed concerns about the Smarter Balanced (OSAS) assessment’s accessibility and whether the test measures reading and writing in ways parents expect. The district said it is researching alternatives and that state accountability changes may increase sanction risks for low‑performing schools.
Several board members raised concerns on March 13 about the Oregon Statewide Assessment (OSAS), known as the Smarter Balanced assessment, questioning whether it accurately measures student reading and writing and whether its format creates accessibility barriers.
A board member said they had taken a fourth‑grade assessment themselves and concluded the test “isn’t measuring what our parents would expect us to measure in clear focus — reading and writing.” The speaker described the test as measuring “a bunch of stuff” and said that the test’s computer‑based format (including long testing sessions and keyboarded responses) can create accessibility challenges for some students.
Administrators told the board that only eight states in the country administer the SBAC consortium assessment in the same way Oregon does, and that states have a choice of assessment consortia. The board and administrators discussed the history of the federal testing regime and the shift from paper tests to computer‑based assessments.
Board members also noted that the governor and state education officials had signaled stronger accountability measures for lower‑performing schools; one board member said sanctions similar to older federal accountability systems could return for the lowest‑performing schools statewide. District leaders said they are tracking state conversations and are researching assessment options, including nationally recognized norm‑referenced assessments and publisher tools, to find tools that better capture students’ reading levels and other skills.
Ending: The district said it is researching alternative assessment possibilities and will report findings back to the board; no policy changes or formal votes on assessment tools were taken at the meeting.
