Ohio Begins Alignment of Educational System with New
Academic Content Standards and Assessments

The following information was obtained from The Ohio Department of Education Web site at www.ode.state.oh.us.

This school year is an important one for Ohio schools. There are new academic content standards, new tests and an overall shift to further involve teachers, parents and other citizens in education.

This year's class of tenth-graders will be the last class required to pass the Ninth-Grade Proficiency Tests to graduate. This year’s ninth-graders will be the first class required to pass the new Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT) to receive a diploma. Tenth-graders in March 2004 will take the OGT in reading and mathematics to meet federal testing mandates.

Educators and state policy-makers believe Ohio students will rise to higher expectations. They also believe that receiving a diploma signifies that students have mastered high school level work. The new tests measure content learned through the end of the 10th grade and are aligned to the new academic content standards.

The new graduation tests replace the Ninth-Grade Proficiency Tests beginning with the graduating class of 2007.  In March 2005, 10th graders will begin taking the OGT for graduation in all five test areas (reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies). Like the Ninth-Grade Proficiency Tests, there will be multiple opportunities for students to pass all five assessments (reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies) that make up the new graduation tests.

The tests will include multiple choice and constructed response questions (short answer and extended response).  Alternate assessments will be available for students with significant disabilities. Students may graduate and receive a diploma without passing all five tests of the OGT if they meet the following requirements:

• Pass four of the five tests and have missed passing the fifth test by no more than 10 points;

• Maintain a 97 percent attendance rate through all four years of high school;

• Must not have had an expulsion in high school;

• Have a grade point average of at least 2.5 out of 4.0 in the courses of the subject area missed and have completed the curriculum requirement in the subject area missed;

• Have participated in any intervention programs offered by the school;

• Must have had a 97 percent attendance rate in any program offered outside the normal school day;

• Obtain letters of recommendation from each teacher in the subject area not yet passed.

The law is clear—parents, classroom teachers, other school personnel and administrators must be involved in developing the new tests. Involvement ranges from reviewing and developing actual test questions, to reviewing the questions for fairness, to recommending the passing scores. Students were involved in field-testing the test questions last year, and will be again involved in field testing test questions this year. All Ohio 10th graders will take the OGT for reading and mathematics during the week of March 15-19, 2004.

If you have questions about the new Ohio Graduation Tests, check the Ohio Department of Education Web site at www.ode.state.oh.us (click "Topic," then "Proficiency;" OGT is on left under Menu) or call 1-877-772-7771.