Ohio already has a relationship with AIR, having implemented the group’s science and social studies tests this past year. Those tests are slated to stay in place, making AIR now the sole supplier of state exams used for school report cards and, eventually, teacher evaluations.
The change does not end the Common Core. Ohio schools will still teach the Common Core learning standards in English and math, but will use the new AIR tests to measure how well students are mastering those standards.
There were widespread complaints this school year about the tests from PARCC (the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers). Complaints included the number of days tied up in testing, the use of two separate testing windows in winter and spring, technological glitches in online testing, and to a lesser extent, the academic content of the tests.
PARCC, whose tests are used in 10 other states, agreed to shorten its tests, but many Ohio legislators said PARCC’s response didn’t shave off enough testing time, leading the state to abandon the group.
Ohio used the Ohio Achievement Assessments to test most students in 2013-14, then the PARCC tests in 2014-15, and will now use the AIR tests in 2015-16. Many school officials have complained about Ohio’s seemingly nonstop changes to education standards, testing, technology, graduation requirements, teacher evaluations and more.
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