Tutoring in Oregon
Kolu is software. Nobody from Kolu will drive to your house in Oregon, and we have no office there. If you want a person, this page says how we would look for one. If the question is which skill is missing, we can help with that part.
Oregon tests English language arts and math in grades 3 to 8 and in grade 11, and science in grades 5, 8 and 11, all under the name OSAS. For 2027 the grade 3 to 8 window opens March 30 and the grade 11 window opens February 2. Both close June 11, and each school chooses its dates inside them. State law requires schools to send parents a notice at least 30 days before testing, along with a state form for excusing a child from the summative tests. The high school scores carry little weight for the student right now, because the rule that seniors prove essential skills in reading, writing and math is suspended through 2027-28.
What Oregon tests, and when
| Grade | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and writing | OSAS | OSAS | OSAS | OSAS | OSAS | OSAS | Not tested | Not tested | OSAS | Not tested |
| Math | OSAS | OSAS | OSAS | OSAS | OSAS | OSAS | Not tested | Not tested | OSAS | Not tested |
| Science | Not tested | Not tested | OSAS Science | Not tested | Not tested | OSAS Science | Not tested | Not tested | OSAS Science | Not tested |
- OSAS (Oregon Statewide Assessment System): reading and writing, math, grades 3 through 8 and 11
- OSAS Science: science, grades 5, 8 and 11
- Main testing window
- late March to mid-June in grades 3 to 8, early February to mid-June in grade 11
- Standards
- Oregon academic content standards
The essential skills graduation requirement is paused, not repealed. The suspension runs through the 2027-28 school year, so families of current middle schoolers should check what the State Board of Education decides for later classes.
Is there a graduation test in Oregon?
No. The requirement that students show essential skills in reading, writing and math, which a state test score could satisfy, is suspended through the 2027-28 school year.
Kolu finds the missing skill and goes back to it
It starts with a skill check, a short test that gets harder or easier depending on the last answer. The result is a map of the subject broken into skills with their prerequisites drawn in, each one marked as solid, still being learned, or a gap.
After that, each session is a handful of activities picked for that student, usually something due for review, a gap to repair and one new skill. When an answer is wrong, Kolu looks at which earlier skill the mistake points to and goes back to it. Here is what that looks like for a sixth grader who can't divide fractions.
The problem on the page
3/4 ÷ 2/5
Dividing fractions
Grade 6
Multiplying fractions
Grade 5 · rests on the one below
Equivalent fractions
Grade 4 · usually where it started
Multiplication facts
Grade 3
Kolu does not call a skill mastered after one right answer. That takes correct work on different kinds of problems on different days, and a skill that fades gets brought back.
Kolu is not test prep for OSAS. It has no bank of released questions. It teaches the skills the test draws on, and it will not do tonight's homework.
When to hire a person instead
Some students need a person, and software is the wrong purchase for them. That includes a child who shuts down when the work gets hard, a student with a learning disability who needs someone trained in it, and anyone with an exam in ten days.
Ask the school first. Teachers know who tutors, and a counselor can tell you what the district already offers at no cost. A nearby college is the next place to look, since students there took these courses recently and usually charge less than an agency.
Whoever you hire, ask one question before the first session: how will you find out what my child doesn't know? If the answer is that they will go over the homework, keep looking.
Free for one subject, $15 a month for 5
Kolu is free for one subject at a time, with one full skill check every 30 days and up to 4 sessions a day. Plus is $15 a month, or $120 for a year, and covers 5 subjects at once with unlimited skill checks. A learner under 13 needs a parent or guardian to set up the account.