Math scores improved about two percentage points, from 53.5% in the 2023-2024 school year to 55.3% in the 2024-2025 school year.
Ohio has heavily invested in science-based curriculum that helps students learn how to read beginning about three school years ago.
All teachers had to be trained in the science of reading models by this fall.
Chris Woolard, chief integration officer for ODEW and one of the people in charge of the state report cards, said literacy is still the department’s top priority.
He said the state will continue to provide support for districts about good instructional materials and professional learning in both literacy and math.
Woolard noted that the current school year is the first in which teachers will be fully trained in the science of reading.
“This is the first year of the full implementation, but it’s going to take time,” Woolard said. “We’re going to keep looking at things over time.”
But he said the literacy scores also underscore why teaching it is important.
“Not enough kids in Ohio are proficient readers,” he said. “And we really should be doubling down on making sure that we’re doing this right.”
The science of reading implementation will be a key focus for the department this school year, Woolard said.
Education policy think tanks encouraged state leaders to keep on the course, despite the data not showing as much improvement as anticipated.
“Continuously improving both reading and math scores must be a top priority if Ohio is to remain competitive in a rapidly changing economy,” said Ohio Excels president Lisa Gray.
Aaron Churchill, Ohio research director for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, said the report cards show Ohio “must keep the pedal to the floor on policy initiative aimed at effective instruction in math and reading.”
“The Science of Reading initiative, for instance, promises higher long-term performance but only if policymakers stay patient and push hard for rigorous implementation,” Churchill said.
ODEW director Steve Dackin said the data from this year is “encouraging.”
“Progress rarely occurs in a straight line,” Dackin said. “As new initiatives take root, some measures may level off before advancing. But the data shows encouraging trends, and Ohio remains committed to using this information to guide decisions that put students first.”
At the state level, 47 districts out of 606 total got a five-star rating on this round of report cards. Thirteen districts got two stars, while 44 got 2.5 stars. The most common district rating was 3.5 stars, with 159 districts awarded that rating, ODEW said.
While five stars is the best a district can do, a district “meeting expectations” is a 3.5-3 star district. Below that rating, districts are considered to need state support to meet their goals.
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