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2008–2009
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Before Registering to Test

After Registering to Test

The Day of the Test

Scores and Score Reporting

Alternative Testing Arrangements


BEFORE REGISTERING TO TEST
Question What are the Oregon Educator Licensure Assessments?
Answer The Oregon Educator Licensure Assessments (ORELA) program includes the Administrator, Civil Rights and Equity in the Educational Environment, and English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Examinations, as well as the Multiple Subjects Examination. See "Program Overview" for more information about the ORELA program, including information about the development and design of the examinations.
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Question Who is required to test?
Answer See "Who Is Required to Take the Tests?" for information about who is required to test.
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Question Which test(s) do I need to take?
Answer See "Who Is Required to Take the Tests?" for information about which test(s) you need to take or whom to contact if you cannot determine which test(s) you need to take.
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Question Where can I find materials that will help me prepare to test?
Answer See "Preparing for the Tests" for information about where you can find test-preparation materials.
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Question When can I test?
Answer See "Test Dates" for a list of available test dates and their corresponding registration deadlines. See "Test Sites" for details about test area availability on each test date. (A particular test or test area may not be available on a particular test date.)
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Question Where can I test?
Answer See "Test Sites" for a list of test areas and for details about test date availability for each test area. (A particular test date may not be available for a particular test area.)
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Question What are the test fees, and what methods of payment are acceptable?
Answer See "Test Fees and Payment Policies" for a complete list of test fees and any related service fees and for information about acceptable methods of payment and the policies that apply to the processing of your payment.
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Question How do I register to test?
Answer See "Registration Options" for an overview of the various registration methods available to you and for information about when you may use each method to register.
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Question How do I register if I do not have a social security number?
Answer Please call (916) 928-4017 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
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Question I received a voucher to use as (partial) payment of test fees. How do I use it?
Answer Candidates wishing to use a voucher should register by U.S. mail and include the voucher with their registration materials. Vouchers cannot be used to register on the Internet. See "U.S. Mail Registration" for additional information about registering by U.S. mail.
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Question At what times are tests administered, and how much time will I have to test?
Answer See "Test Selection" for test session reporting and dismissal times and test session length.
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AFTER REGISTERING TO TEST
Question How do I confirm my registration?
Answer The way in which your registration is confirmed depends on the method that you used to register to test.
  • If you registered on the Internet, you will receive your admission ticket by e-mail after your registration has been processed and you have been assigned to a specific test site.


  • If you registered by U.S. mail or by telephone, you will receive your admission ticket by U.S. mail after your registration has been processed and you have been assigned to a specific test site.


  • If you requested alternative testing arrangements, you will receive your admission ticket by U.S. mail, regardless of registration method.
To confirm your registration status, select "Confirm or Modify Registration" at the top of this Web page and follow the instructions provided. You will be required to provide your date of birth and your ID number (found on your admission ticket and/or e-mail registration confirmation) to view your registration information.

See "Confirming Your Registration" for more information about how to confirm your registration status and what to do if you are unable to confirm your registration status.

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Question How do I change my registration?
Answer See "Changing Your Registration" for details about how and when you may change your registration (e.g., your test date, your test area) or withdraw your registration and how to correct or update personal information that appears on your admission ticket (e.g., your mailing address).
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Question I did not receive an admission ticket. What should I do?
Answer If you know your ORELA ID number, select "My Admission Ticket" to confirm your registration status and request another copy of your admission ticket. You may request that the copy be sent by e-mail or by U.S. mail and e-mail. If you are unable to receive a copy of your admission ticket before your test date, you may use this service to print the admission information you need to bring to the test site to be admitted to the test administration.

If you do not know your ORELA ID number, contact Evaluation Systems (see "Contact Information").

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Question I lost my admission ticket. May I still be admitted to the test site without it?
Answer Yes, you may still be admitted to the test site and permitted to test. However, you may first be required to complete additional paperwork, which could reduce your available testing time. See "What to Bring to the Test Site" for details about what you may be required to do or provide at the test site if you do not have your admission ticket.

If you know your ORELA ID number, you may request another copy of your admission ticket online by selecting "My Admission Ticket." If you are unable to receive a copy of your admission ticket before your test date, you may use this service to print the admission information you need to bring to the test site to be admitted to the test administration.

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Question My name has recently changed and now does not match the name that appears on my identification. What should I do?
Answer See the identification policy in "What to Bring to the Test Site" for details about what you may be required to do or provide at the test site if the name on your identification differs from the name in which you registered.
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Question Will I be permitted to use a calculator on the test for which I have registered?
Answer You are not permitted to use a calculator for the test. See "Test Site Rules" for complete information about unauthorized aids and prohibited materials at the test site.
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THE DAY OF THE TEST
Question I was absent from the test administration. Will I receive a refund?
Answer If you are absent, you will not receive a refund or credit of any kind. You will need to register and pay again to test at a future administration.
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Question If, after testing, I would like to submit a comment about my testing experience, how should I do that?
Answer If you have comments about the test site or the conditions under which you took a test, please submit your comments in a letter sent to Evaluation Systems at the address indicated in "Contact Information." Your letter should be received by Evaluation Systems no later than seven days after your test date.
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SCORES AND SCORE REPORTING
Question When will my scores be available?
Answer See "Test Dates" for an overview of test dates and their corresponding score report dates. See "Release of Your Test Scores" for details about different ways in which your scores are made available to you. For instance, your unofficial scores are available on the Internet for a two-week posting period, but you must provide your date of birth and ID number (found on your admission ticket and/or e-mail registration confirmation) to access them, and for security reasons, you may view them only once. Your official score report is sent to you by U.S. mail. Unofficial scores are not an acceptable substitute for an official score report.
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Question Will I be able to access my unofficial scores on the Internet without my ID number?
Answer No. If you do not have your ID number (found on your admission ticket and/or e-mail registration confirmation), you will not be able to access your unofficial scores on the Internet. In addition, for security reasons, you will not be provided with your ID number upon request by telephone or e-mail after the test administration. Your official score report will be sent to you by U.S. mail.
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Question How are tests scored, and how do I read my official score report?
Answer You will receive with your official score report an explanation of how to read and interpret your scores. Also, you may access details about how to read and interpret your scores by selecting "Score Reporting" at the top of this Web page. In addition, see "ORELA Passing Requirements" for information about test design and how passing scores or standards for the test are established.
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Question Who set the passing score for the test? How was it decided?
Answer Legislation authorizes the TSPC to establish a licensure structure for educators, aligned with the development levels of students. For each ORELA examination, a panel of Oregon educators makes recommendations regarding an appropriate passing score. Following the first administration of each test, educators examine the content of the test, the difficulty of the questions, and examinees' performance on the questions to determine the level of performance needed to pass the test. With the benefit of these recommendations, the TSPC sets a passing score.
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Question What if I do not pass the test?
Answer Individuals will have unlimited opportunities to register for and retake any test or subtest until they achieve a passing score.
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Question May I request that my test be rescored?
Answer Yes. See "Requesting a Rescore" for complete information about available rescoring services.
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Question May I request additional copies of my scores?
Answer Yes. See "Requesting Additional Copies of Your Test Results" for complete information about how to request additional copies of your scores.
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Question After I pass an examination, do I ever have to take it again?
Answer At this time, there is no expiration date for ORELA scores. For examinations composed of subtests, once a candidate has achieved a passing score on each of the required subtests, the candidate has passed the examination.
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ALTERNATIVE TESTING ARRANGEMENTS
Question How do I request alternative testing arrangements for a disability?
Answer See "Registering for Alternative Testing Arrangements" for complete information about how to submit a request for alternative testing arrangements for a disability (physical or other than physical).
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Question May I submit my request for alternative testing arrangements on the Internet?
Answer No. If you register on the Internet, you will need to submit by fax or U.S. mail, after completing your registration on the Internet, your Alternative Testing Arrangements Request Form and any required documentation. If you register by U.S. mail, your Alternative Testing Arrangements Request Form and any required documentation should be submitted with your registration materials. See "Registering for Alternative Testing Arrangements" for additional important information about how to request alternative testing arrangements.
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Question May I still request alternative testing arrangements after the regular registration deadline?
Answer Yes. However, because of the time that it takes to review requests adequately, and because of test-site and staffing constraints, there is no assurance that requests received after the regular registration deadline can be accommodated.
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Question The last time that I tested, my request for alternative testing arrangements was granted. Do I need to submit the paperwork again each time I register?
Answer You must complete and submit an Alternative Testing Arrangements Request Form each time that you register. However, if you submit all required documentation the first time that you request alternative testing arrangements, this documentation will be kept on file for one year. So, if you register for subsequent test dates during that year, you need only submit your registration, correct payment, and a completed Alternative Testing Arrangements Request Form as long as your disability and the recommended accommodations have not changed.
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Question May I submit a request to test on an alternative test date for religious reasons?
Answer See the "Registering for an Alternative Test Date for Religious Reasons" section in "Registering for Alternative Testing Arrangements" for complete information about how to register for an alternative test date for religious reasons.
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Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
Evaluation Systems, Pearson, P.O. Box 226, Amherst, MA 01004