Commentary
Accountability & Testing
The cohort graduation rate problem: What Ohio data tell us
By Jessica Shopoff, M.Ed. and Chase Eskelsen, M.Ed.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Four reminders to the Ohio State Board of Education on graduation standards
At its November meeting, the State Board of Education reopened the debate over Ohio’s graduation standards.
Report
Accountability & Testing, Governance, Standards
Back to the Basics: A plan to simplify and balance Ohio’s school report cards
For more than a decade, Ohio’s annual school report cards have offered the public information on school quality. The current iteration of report cards has notable strengths: School ratings are grounded in hard data, they use an intuitive A-F rating system, and several of the metrics encourage schools to pay attention to the achievement of all students.
Report
Accountability & Testing, Charter Schools
2017 Fordham Sponsorship Annual Report
The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation’s sponsorship annual report highlights our work with eleven schools that served 4,150 students in five Ohio cities during the 2016-17 school year.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Will next year’s school ratings be a disaster?
Next September, Ohio districts and schools will receive an overall grade on their report cards. While the Buckeye State has generated overall ratings before—using labels such as “effective” or “academic watch”—this will be the first time Ohio assigns an overall A-F grade.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Text of testimony given before the House Education and Career Readiness Committee 10/24/17
NOTE: The House Education and Career Readiness Committee of the Ohio General Assembly is hearing opponent testimony this week on House Bill 176, a proposal that we believe would significantly affect the standards, testing, and accountability infrastructure of K-12 education in Ohio.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Will Ohio’s ACT scores dip next year?
The Statehouse newspaper, Gongwer, recently ran a piece covering the ACT test results for Ohio’s graduating class of 2017. The headline trumpeted the fact that Ohio’s scores again topped the national average—definitely good news.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Fordham Institute media statement on new school report card data
The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) today released school report cards for the 2016-17 school year. The report cards offer an independent, objective lens through which Ohioans can view student and school performance in their local communities.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Policymakers should be careful about championing student GPAs
In response to widespread fears that too many students would fail to pass the state’s seven high school End Of Course (EOC) tests, Ohio lawmakers recently created additional graduation pathways for the class of 2018.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Don’t rush to judgment on test scores
Back in July, the Columbus Dispatch posted an article entitled “Ohio high schoolers test poorly in math.” The story emerged from a State Board of Education meeting at which the Ohio Department of Education (ODE)
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Chicago Public Schools goes overboard on graduation requirements
Ohio policy makers just dismantled the high school graduation requirements for the class of 2018.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Ohio’s graduation debacle: The return of social promotion
The Ohio General Assembly recently passed and Governor Kasich approved legislation that allows students in the class of 2018 to graduate without demonstrating competency on state exams or meeting career and technical education-related requirements.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Social studies exams shouldn’t be first on the chopping block
Some Ohio lawmakers and educators recently proposed to roll back the state’s social studies exams, which presently include tests in fourth and sixth grade and end-of-course assessments (EOCs) for high-school students in both U.S. history and government. The proposals come from two avenues.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Four questions to answer before “fixing” Ohio’s graduation requirements
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.
Report
Accountability & Testing
Interdistrict Open Enrollment in Ohio: Participation and Student Outcomes
Interdistrict open enrollment allows students to attend public schools outside their district of residence. It is among the largest and most widespread of school-choice efforts in the United States but often flies under the radar in policy discussions. In Ohio, over 70,000 students open enroll into schools outside their district of residence.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Self-efficacy, test anxiety, and academic success
Can a student be so anxious that she can “psych herself out” when it comes to test performance? Can the perceived stakes be so high that no amount of test preparation could overcome the fear of failure?
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Testimony given before the state board of education – 4/11/17
NOTE: The state board of education today debated the recent report of a graduation requirements workgroup. Among those providing testimony on the state’s high school graduation requirements was Chad L. Aldis, Vice President for Ohio Policy and Advocacy here at Fordham. The following are his written remarks.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Ohio’s assessment committee is stacked
“Government by the people” is one of the most powerful ideas in American government. It represents the belief that, in a democracy, the people hold sovereignty over government and not the reverse.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Do grades or test scores better predict new students’ success in credit-bearing college courses?
A recent report from Education Northwest extends previous research by the same lead researcher, drilling down into the same dataset in order to fine-tune the original findings.
Report
Accountability & Testing, School Finance
Ohio Education By the Numbers--2017 Edition
This guidebook offers simple and easy-to-use vital statistics about Ohio’s schools and the students they serve. The facts and figures contained within this report offer an overview of who Ohio’s students are; where they go to school; how they perform on national and state exams; and how many pursue post-secondary education.
Report
Accountability & Testing, Standards
Setting Sights on Excellence: Ohio’s School Report Cards, 2015-16
On September 15, Ohio released report cards for approximately 600 school districts and 3,500 public schools (district and charter). These report cards are based on state exam results from the 2015-16 school year, along with several other gauges of student success.
Report
Accountability & Testing, Governance, Standards
Facing facts: Ohio's school report cards in a time of rising expectations
A deep dive into the performance of Ohio’s public schools, statewide and in its eight largest urban areas
Report
Accountability & Testing, Charter Schools
2015 Fordham Sponsorship Annual Report
The 2015 Fordham Sponsorship Annual Report is our opportunity to share the Fordham Foundation’s work as the sponsor of eleven schools serving approximately 3,200 students in five cities, and our related policy work in Ohio and nationally.
Policy Brief
Accountability & Testing, Teachers & School Leaders
Policy Brief: Pathways to Teaching in Ohio
A thorough overview of how teachers are trained and licensed
Report
Accountability & Testing, Governance, Standards
Establishing a baseline: Ohio’s education system as it enters a new era
Like other states, Ohio has over the past few years put into place a standards a
Policy Brief
Accountability & Testing, Governance, Teachers & School Leaders
Policy Brief: The Ohio Teacher Evaluation System
A thorough overview of Ohio's teacher evaluation framework
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
The ABCs of ADCs: An in-depth look at the new academic distress commission legislation
A new tool for school district reform
Commentary
Charter Schools, Accountability & Testing
Ohio House proposes changes in testing, vouchers, and teacher evaluation
Looking beyond the "big issues" in Ohio's budget bill
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Should districts get rid of middle schools?
Does middle school really stink?
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction, Accountability & Testing
The promise of mastery grading (continued)
Pros and cons of mastery-based education