Gov. John Kasich's recently signed budget bill includes a total revamp of Ohio's batch of Common Core-aligned math and English exams.But education officials have a lot of work to complete in a relatively small amount of time.Working alongside the American Institutes for Research testing company, state officials will need to create the new exams, make sure all of the associated technology works, and roll out the tests, all by the end of next spring.
They’ll have to adhere to some big legislation-driven changes, too, including creating a shorter test that’s only delivered once during an academic year.Ohio already uses AIR to deliver its social studies and science exams, which Melissa Cropper, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, believes will help alleviate some of the technology struggles teachers felt last year during the state’s rollout of the standardized PARCC exams.This time around, she said she hopes educators are more involved in knowing what’s going on with testing."I am concerned that there’s a lot of work to be done to make sure that we’re ready to move ahead," she said. "But a lot of that is really tied to communication, and making sure people understand what’s happening."State education officials are pledging to reach out to teachers during the development process.They were short on details, but said they’re confident they’ll be able to roll out the tests on time.