Berea third-graders prepare for state reading test required to advance to fourth grade
Owen Trzebuckowski, left, Mason Cook and Zach Rector, students in Lori Mucha's class at Berea's Grindstone Elementary School, brush up on their reading skills to prepare for the state tests.
(Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer)
Ohio's Third Grade Reading Guarantee kicks off this year, meaning that for the first time public school students must be able to read at grade level before being promoted to fourth grade. (What is grade level? See for yourself in our interactive quiz.)
The Third Grade Reading Guarantee may be hard to differentiate from other educational buzzwords, such as “Common Core.” So Northeast Ohio Media Group compiled some common-sense questions to tell you what exactly the guarantee – the test and its ramifications – mean for Ohio students and parents.
What is the Third Grade Reading Guarantee?
State legislators approved the initial legislation, which was backed by Gov. John Kasich, in 2012. Students in districts around the state will take Ohio Achievement Assessments, including the third-grade reading test, between April 21 and May 16.
What happens if third-graders don't score well enough on the state tests?
Students who aren’t on track will be held back, at least in third-grade reading. School districts can promote students to fourth grade in other subjects if they’re ready. Students must score at least 392 out of a possible 507 this year to advance to fourth grade reading. The so-called “cut score” in subsequent years is expected to climb, although the actual numbers are likely to change when the Ohio Achievement Assessments are replaced next year by new tests linked to the multi-state Common Core learning standards.
Why is Ohio implementing the Third Grade Reading Guarantee?
State Superintendent Richard Ross says that Ohio has “almost a moral obligation” to make sure that students are on track, instead of taking the easy way out by promoting them even if they aren’t reading at grade level. “Social promotion is a pathway to poverty,” he said.
According to the Ohio Department of Education, more than 27,000 third-graders in the state cannot read proficiently. The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress reading scores show that Ohio's fourth-graders have made no reading gains in a decade. Ross also points to a 2011 national study commissioned by the Maryland-based Annie E. Casey Foundation. It found that third-graders who aren't proficient readers are four times more likely to drop out before finishing high school than their peers.
When will districts know how students performed on the spring third-grade reading test?
The state expects to get the results by mid-June. Districts, and parents, should find out shortly after that how children performed. Results from an early round of tests last fall showed that about a third of the state’s third-graders needed to improve their reading skills.
How many chances will a child get to pass?
Students who haven’t passed the fall or spring tests can take the state test again this summer. Districts also have the option of administering three alternative standardized tests approved by the state – called the Iowa, Terra Nova and Measures of Academic Progress -- and can promote retained students at any time during the next school year if they score well enough.
Which districts have the biggest concerns, when it comes to the third-grade reading guarantee?
Cleveland, for example, expects that about 40 percent of third-graders – roughly 1,000 children – will need extra help over the summer.
Suburban districts Richmond Heights, Cleveland Heights-University Heights, Bedford, East Cleveland and Warrensville Heights all had significant numbers of third-graders score in the lowest category on the state reading test in the fall. And even the highest-performing and wealthiest suburban school districts are preparing to help a small number of students who could be held back.
What kind of help will be given to children who are retained?
Schools must provide at least 90 minutes of reading instruction a day to a student who is held back in third grade. Those struggling students must be assigned to a teacher who has at least one year’s experience and state-approved credentials such as a reading endorsement on his or teaching license or a master’s degree with a major in reading.
Does the Ohio Department of Education spell out how districts will deliver that extra help?
No, that’s up to each district. For example, it could be one-on-one tutoring or combined third- and fourth-grade reading groups during the school day. Some districts also are considering summer reading programs
Is there an argument against retaining a child?
Yes, some educators worry about the stigma of being held back, and the effect of being separated from the friends and classmates they’ve known.
While the Ohio Education Association – the union that represents thousands of teachers across the state – agrees with the goal of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, it questions the retention requirement. “Studies have shown that retention has negative consequences on a child,” said union president Becky Higgins. “Studies show that retention usually does more harm than good.”
Does the effort to get students on track in reading start in third grade?
No. Students in kindergarten through third grade are to take reading diagnostic tests by Sept. 30 each year. If students are not on track to read at grade level by the end of the year, school districts are required to tell their parents in writing that the students have a reading deficiency.
What happens then?
Districts must provide parents with a description of the current services provided to students and a description of the proposed supplemental services. Parents are also told that if children aren’t reading at grade level by the end of third grade, they will be retained. Within 60 days of identifying students as not reading at grade level, schools must develop individualized Reading Improvement and Monitoring Plans for them.
Can parents refuse to have their child held back?
No. While districts are to work with families to get students on track in reading, a child’s performance on the state reading test or alternative tests will determine whether he or she is retained.
Are any students exempt from the Third Grade Reading Guarantee?
Yes. For one thing, the guarantee applies only to children in Ohio’s traditional public and charter schools. Students in private schools, including those using public vouchers to attend, are not affected.
Are there other exemptions?
Yes. The list includes children with limited English proficiency who have been enrolled in U.S. schools for less than three full school years and have had less than three years of instruction in English as a Second Language classes; special education students whose Individualized Education Program plans exclude them from retention; and students who have received intensive remediation for two years and were previously held back.
Do other states have something similar to the Third Grade Reading Guarantee?
Yes. In fact, the Ohio guarantee is patterned after the law that Florida implemented in the 2002-03 school year. It’s based on the same reasoning that drives Ohio’s law: that children who can’t read are not equipped to master other subjects and are at a much higher risk to drop out.
Oklahoma, Arizona, Iowa, Mississippi, Tennessee and Utah are among other states that have similar plans in place to encourage reading proficiency.
Has Florida's law produced good results?
Ohio’s state superintendent says Florida has had “stark success.” The percentage of students scoring at or above what’s considered a satisfactory level on the state reading test climbed dramatically within just the first few years.