Providing homework assistance and preparing high school students for the OGT is critical, Bailey said. The after-school program will also offer preparatory sessions for the Ohio Achievement Assessment test for grades three to eight.
“Last year there were kids who did not graduate because they didn’t pass the OGT,” Bailey said. “Here’s another avenue to make sure we can get there. We’re going to do whatever it takes.”
Faith United and the Oaks Community Church have a partnership with Middletown City Schools to adhere to the Governor’s Achievement Initiative in Closing the Achievement Gap.
Last year the program drew 15-20 students per week, Bailey said, adding that 10 tutors were usually available for assistance.
This year’s OGT prep courses seek to provide supplemental assistance to methods the district is using in the classrooms, organizers said. How students will be instructed is being worked out with the district, Bailey said, but workbooks and other exercises students and their mentors can collaborate on will likely be used.
Subject content reviews along with tips to reduce test-day anxiety will likely be a focus, he said.
Edrena Jones, education coordinator, will be working with kids as part of the tutoring team.
“You have to tell these kids they’re not less than anything,” said Jones, who recently retired from teaching kindergarten at Miller Ridge. “You just may not test well, but it’s in you to be able to pass.”
According to recent district report card data, 81.6 percent of Middletown juniors passed the science portion of the OGT last year. The state requirement for all portions is 85 percent. About 82 percent of juniors passed the social studies portion, 92 percent passed the writing portion, 86 percent the math portion and 88 percent the reading portion.
Students must pass all sections to graduate. Parents interested in enrolling their students into the after-school program can do so every Tuesday between 3 and 6 p.m. at Faith United Church, located at 9 Baltimore St. in Middletown.
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