ASSESSMENT

Hermiston School District uses a balanced system of assessment to understand how students are learning and growing over time.

Throughout the year, students engage in classroom-based assessments that inform daily instruction and provide timely feedback to students and teachers. In addition, students participate in NWEA MAP assessments, which serve as interim assessments in Math, Reading (grades K-12), and Science (grades 6-12). MAP is administered three times per year and is used to monitor student growth, identify strengths and areas for support, and guide instructional planning.

As required by state and federal law, students also participate in Oregon’s Statewide Assessments (OSAS). OSAS serves as the district’s summative assessment, providing an end-of-year measure of student learning relative to Oregon’s academic standards. Together, classroom assessments, MAP interims, and OSAS summative results provide a comprehensive picture of student progress and program effectiveness.

Impacts of Opting Your Student Out

• Choosing not to participate in state assessments means losing valuable information about your student’s K–12 learning progress. Assessment is a critical part of teaching and learning, providing educators and families with meaningful insights into how well students are mastering key content and skills.
  State assessments offer important diagnostic information that helps teachers, schools, and districts understand student progress and adjust instruction to better meet student needs. The redesigned state assessments in math and language arts (implemented beginning in 2015) are designed to provide even more actionable and informative results. When students do not take these assessments, families and educators lose an important opportunity to understand learning progress and to use that information to inform and improve future instruction.
• Graduation Requirements: Oregon’s previous “Essential Skills” requirement is suspended through 2027–28, which means state tests are not required for graduation.
• Some colleges and universities use a student’s performance on the OSAS English Language Arts or Math assessment to determine readiness for credit-bearing college coursework. These scores can help place students directly into college-level classes or identify the need for additional support.
  When OSAS scores are not available, students may be required to take additional college placement exams. In some cases, this can result in placement into remedial courses that cost the same as credit-bearing classes but do not count toward a college degree. Completing the OSAS ELA and Math assessments helps reduce unnecessary testing and supports a smoother transition to college-level coursework.
• School and District Reporting: Schools are required to test 95% of students overall and in each student group. When participation falls below this target, it can affect the school and school district’s statewide accountability reporting. This does not affect an individual student’s grades or access to classes.

• 30-Day Notice and Opt-out Form in English
• 30-Day Notice and Opt-out Form in Spanish

District Level Assessments

These assessments monitor student academic growth across the district and help provide information regarding specific reading and math skills/standards students may be deficient.  Targeted interventions are then prescribed to help students move towards grade level proficiency or to boost them to their next learning experience. These universal screenings are offered three times a school year: Fall, Winter and Spring.

Classroom Level Assessments

Educators administer “quick” checks for understanding along with end of unit assessments to monitor student understanding of concepts and skills in order to help with instructional decisions.