Released January 16, 2019, the January newsletter featured topics on:
An archived version of this email newsletter is available here.
As you return back to the classroom after the winter break, this is just a reminder that the pretesting window reopens January 2, 2019 and stays open until February 1st.
Pretests should be given before students receive instruction and should only be administered once. The use of pretest scores, when paired with posttest scores during the Teacher Effectiveness window, will generate an additional Teacher Effectiveness score that is mapped to student gain.
While pretesting is currently optional for CTE programs, it is a great way to review knowledge retained by the student from previous courses to help teachers prepare their courses to allow students to be more effective during the current school year. It is a recognized way to document student gain. This documentation of student gain, as previously stated, can allow teachers to better prepare, ultimately improving teacher effectiveness, which is beneficial to the student, the teacher, local programs, and ultimately to Ohio business and industry.
If you need assistance purchasing, assigning, or activating pretests, please contact webxam@osu.edu.
Released December 12, 2018, the December newsletter featured topics on:
An archived version of this email newsletter is available here.
Released November 13, 2018, the November newsletter featured topics on:
An archived version of this email newsletter is available here.
Released 10/14/18, the October newsletter featured topics on:
An archived version of this email newsletter is available here.
The workshop was completed on October 11, 2018. You may view a recording of online session by going to https://news.webxam.org/users-workshop/.
Every August, WebXam, the online testing portal maintained by the CETE Assessment Services Team, launches a one-month fall pretesting window. This window also occurs in January although the fall window is by far more popular. During this window, CTE educators have the option to administer course pretests to their students as part of the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES). These tests, under Category B use in OTES, support evaluation of teacher effectiveness in terms of gain from pretests to post-tests. Under Category C (local usage) pretests can be utilized with Student Learning Objectives or SLO to tailor courses more closely to standards and competencies that guide those objectives and to demonstrate gain.
During the 2018-19 fall pretesting window from August to mid-September, WebXam delivered the highest number of pretests given in this window since inception in 2014. A total of 48,561 pretests were given to 29,240 students (there are an estimated 125,000 participants in Ohio CTE programming). Comparing the fall pretesting totals of last year (41,270) to this year (48,561) indicates a 15% increase. In fact, this number is only 47 pretests different from the total number of pretests taken during the entire 2017-18 school year!
The top five courses for pretests taken in the fall window are as follows:
| Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources | 1249 |
| Medical Terminology | 1248 |
| Information Technology | 1215 |
| Engineering Design | 1188 |
| Patient Centered Care | 1061 |
Why it Matters
While pretesting is currently optional for CTE programs, it is a great way to review knowledge retained by the student from previous courses to help teachers prepare their courses to allow students to be more effective during the current school year. It is a recognized way to document student gain. This documentation of student gain, as previously stated, can allow teachers to better prepare, ultimately improving teacher effectiveness, which is beneficial to the student, the teacher, local programs, and ultimately to Ohio business and industry.
Released 9/14/18, the September newsletter featured topics on:
An archived version of this email newsletter is available here.
The Assessment Services Team at CETE has begun the process of developing the item-writing workshops for the 2018-19 school year. These item-writing workshops are when subject-matter experts work to develop new items for exams CTE students take using the WebXam online testing portal. These workshops, along WebXam technical support, are conducted in partnership with the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE).
For the 2018-19 school year, the Assessment Services team will host item-writing workshops for test development by subject-matter experts (SMEs) in the career fields of Engineering and Manufacturing to develop item banks for 21 courses. We will also be hosting workshops to develop 3 item banks for a new Cybersecurity pathway in the Information Technology career field.
Participation by subject-matter experts (SMEs) is the most important element of test development. New test items do not get written without the knowledge, expertise, and participation of SMEs – thus our motto, “SMEs are KEY!”. If you are in the Engineering or Manufacturing career fields, please reach out to the CETE recruiter for more information, or visit the Registration Survey to sign up. For more details, please visit our SME Resources page or you can download our Recruitment detailer.
Released 6/14/18, the June newsletter featured topics on:
An archived version of this email newsletter is available here.