Education officials plan to hold a community forum on new state tests in line with the Common Core standards later this week in Redmond.

Oregon is one of more than 40 states that have adopted Common Core as a guideline for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level in math and English language arts in order to graduate high school. This spring the new Smarter Balanced assessments, which are aligned to the new standards, will replace the old OAKS state tests for reading, writing and math.

Derek Brown, director of assessment for the Oregon Department of Education, will discuss the Smarter Balanced assessments at the forum, which will be co-hosted by High Desert Education Service District and Oregon PTA. Parents, students, educators and community members are invited to attend.

The forum will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday at the Central Oregon Community College Technology Center, 2030 SE College Loop, in Redmond. For information, call 541-693-5713.