The state raised the minimum score for passage on the reading test.
The results of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee were released as part of K-3 Literacy on the 2014-2015 Ohio School Report Cards.
“The Third Grade Reading Guarantee is already achieving its main goal - getting extra help for students who need it,” said Dr. Lonny J. Rivera, interim state superintendent of public instruction. “Ohio’s schools are stepping up to the plate by adding instructional time, partnering with local libraries and utilizing community volunteers to provide tutoring.”
The state used the Ohio Achievement Assessment and the promotion score was raised from 392 to 394, moving toward a proficient level of 400.
New research shows that students reading proficiently by the end of third grade are five times more successful at achieving college and career readiness as their non-proficient peers, the state said.
Ohio’s third-grade reading law says students are required to meet the state benchmark on the third-grade reading test to be eligible for promotion to the fourth grade. With a few exceptions, those who cannot pass the test are held back.
About 6 percent of Ohio’s third graders - special needs students and those learning English, for example - were exempt from being held back.
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