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Accountability & Testing
Signs of hope for students in East Cleveland
The recently passed state budget created an off-ramp for districts under the control of an
Accountability & Testing
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Accountability & Testing
Youngstown’s academic improvement plan doesn’t promise much improvement
Since 2005, Ohio has intervened in chronically underperforming school districts by establishing new leadership in the form of an
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Accountability & Testing
Six takeaways from Ohio’s latest school report cards
In mid-October, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released report card data for the 2020–21 school year. Due to pandemic-era provisions passed earlier this year, no school ratings were available—only raw data. Ohio will return to standard protocol and issue ratings next fall, but even without them, there are important things to highlight.
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Accountability & Testing
Fordham Institute media statement on the release of Ohio’s school report cards
Earlier today, the Ohio Department of Education released report cards for the 2020–21 school year. Due to emergency legislative measures enacted due to the pandemic, this year’s report cards do not include any school ratings (those are slated to return next fall).
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Accountability & Testing
The Cleveland Plan gets a refresh
In 2012, Governor Kasich signed legislation that allowed the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) to implement a city-wide education t
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Accountability & Testing
Public school accountability is a myth
NOTE: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham. Traditional public schools are accountable, right? I mean, everyone says they are, so it must be true.
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Accountability & Testing
Ohio should set a goal for academic recovery
Over the past year, raucous debates have erupted over school reopenings, masking in classrooms, and critical race theory.
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Accountability & Testing
Ohio’s 2021 spring tests show that achievement suffered during the pandemic and highlight the importance of in-person learning
NOTE: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham.
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Accountability & Testing
What supports do high schoolers need to achieve their college enrollment goals?
Post-secondary preparation supports are numerous and common in high schools across the country.
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Accountability & Testing
What explains the pre-pandemic improvement in Cleveland schools?
During summer 2012, Governor Kasich signed House Bill 525, legislation that allowed the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) to implement a city-wide school turnaround plan.
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Accountability & Testing
A new day for Ohio’s school report cards
After several years of debate, Ohio lawmakers recently passed a much-needed revamp of the state’s school report card.
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Accountability & Testing
Fordham Institute media statement on passage of school report card reform
Today, the General Assembly passed House Bill 82, legislation that contains comprehensive reforms to the state’s school report card system. In recent years, education groups (including Fordham) have urged the legislature to make improvements to the report card that would make it fairer to schools and easier for Ohioans to understand.
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Accountability & Testing
Testimony provided to the Ohio Senate Education Committee on HB 82—6/23/21
NOTE: On June 23, 2021, the Ohio Senate’s Primary and Secondary Education Committee heard testimony on Substitute House Bill 82 which would, among other things, ma
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Accountability & Testing
Why college entrance exams matter
Since the spring of 2017, all Ohio eleventh graders have been required to take either the ACT or the SAT at the state’s expense.
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Accountability & Testing
Yes, the House’s proposed school rating labels are “actively misleading”
After months of debate, state lawmakers continue to mull significant changes to Ohio’s school report card system. Two vastly different proposals to overhaul the report card framework have emerged (House Bill 200 and Senate Bill 145).
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Accountability & Testing
The third grade reading guarantee might be working after all
First implemented in the 2013–14 school year, Ohio’s third grade reading guarantee has aimed to ensure that all children have the foundational reading skills needed to navigate more chall
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Accountability & Testing
Testimony presented before the Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee on SB 145—5/11/21
NOTE: On May 11, the Ohio Senate’s Primary and Secondary Education Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 145, a proposal to revise school and district report cards
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Accountability & Testing
Universal ACT and SAT participation is a matter of equal opportunity
Over the past few years, education groups have pushed the General Assembly to walk back the state policy that requires all high school juniors to take the ACT or SAT exam.
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Accountability & Testing
Here’s what i-Ready winter diagnostic assessments reveal about unfinished learning
Although most schools have returned to some semblance of in-person learning for families who want it, education researchers and analysts are still working to gauge the impact of extended school closures.
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Accountability & Testing
The Ohio Senate does report card reform right
Annual school report cards play an important role in healthy, accountable K–12 education systems.
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Accountability & Testing
House report card bill deserves an F
For more than two decades, report cards have offered Ohioans an annual check on the quality of public schools. They have strived to ensure that schools maintain high expectations for all students, to provide parents with a clear signal when standards are not being met, and to identify high-performing schools whose practices are worth emulating.
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Accountability & Testing
Testimony presented before the Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee on HB 67
NOTE: On March 16, 2021, the Ohio Senate’s Primary and Secondary Education Committee heard testimony on HB 67, a bill which would, among other provisions, make changes to the state’s graduation requirements in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Accountability & Testing
Reducing cheating on online exams
Concerns over the increased potential for cheating are front and center in debates
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Accountability & Testing
Using course grades for graduation doesn’t advance equity or excellence
Last week, the Ohio House passed legislation (HB 67) that addressed graduation requirements and a few other issues in K–12 education.
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Accountability & Testing
Budget proposal unwisely lowers the graduation bar in science and social studies
Last week, the Ohio House unveiled House Bill 110, the legislative vehicle for Governor DeWine’s budget proposal.
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Accountability & Testing
Testimony presented before the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee on HB 67
NOTE: On Tuesday, February 23, 2021, members of the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee heard testimony on House Bill 67 which would seek to waive testing in Ohio’s schools for the 2020–21 school year.
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Accountability & Testing
State lawmakers take another crack at cancelling state tests
Last spring, Governor DeWine signed legislation that eliminated state tests and paused school accountability sanctions for the 2019–20 school year. Efforts by the education establishment to extend these changes through the 2020–21 school year began almost immediately.
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Accountability & Testing
A reply to the anti-testers
Under pressure from the school establishment and teachers unions, Ohio lawmakers recently filed bills that seek to cancel state assessments this spring.
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Accountability & Testing
Ohio’s fall tests reveal how the pandemic has affected student learning
NOTE: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham.
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Accountability & Testing
The Ohio Senate Education Committee missteps on state assessments, distress commissions
Earlier this week, the Senate Education committee passed Substitute Senate Bill 358, legislation that would extend temporary waivers from state laws that were granted earlier this year in response to the pandemic and school building closures.
