Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Ohio could learn from Kentucky’s newly proposed graduation requirements
By Jessica Poiner
Accountability & Testing
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
The potential impact of dropout recovery report card changes
I recently wrote about some big changes that are coming for Ohio’s dropout prevention and recovery schools (DPRS), thanks to recent adjustments made by the State Board of Education. This piece examines the potential impacts of those changes.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Ohio’s preliminary test results look pretty good
At the most recent State Board of Education meeting, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) reported preliminary test results from the 2017–18 school year. The numbers still need to be verified by districts before they can be used to calculate report cards, which will include more detailed data and be disaggregated by subgroup.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Can school accountability policies improve working conditions?
A-to-F school rating systems have come under fire in Ohio and remain a hotly debated topic elsewhere.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
When the standard isn’t the standard: Ohio’s early reading guarantee
In a pattern now becoming all too familiar, the State Board of Education recently got spooked by the prospect of tougher standards and delayed action on lifting grade-promotion standards under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee for 2018–19.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Don’t punt overall school ratings, again
If kicking the accountability can down the road were an Olympic sport, Ohio policymakers would win the gold medal. The latest example comes from the State Board of Education, which recently recommended that the state legislature again push back the overall A–F rating to fall 2019.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Getting to square one: Longstanding troubles hinder the Youngstown turnaround effort
In a recent analysis of the Academic Distress Commission (ADC) system currently in place in Youngstown City Schools, my colleague Jessica Poiner shows significant deviations from the six habits<
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Testimony given before the House Education and Career Readiness Committee on House Bill 591—5/22/18
NOTE: The Education and Career Readiness Committee of the Ohio House of Representatives today heard testimony on HB 591, a proposal that would make changes to Ohio’s school report cards. Fordham’s Chad Aldis was a witness at this hearing and these are his written remarks.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Old habits die hard: An analysis of the Youngstown turnaround effort
Ohio is no stranger to district turnarounds. Back in 2007, academic distress commissions (ADCs) were added to state law as a way for the state to intervene in districts that consistently fail to meet academic standards.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
When progress isn't progress: Akron’s graduation rate soars
Education is hard, so we should celebrate success at every opportunity. A sky-high graduation rate, for example, should make us smile from ear to ear.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Why Ohio should stick with A–F school grades
The debate around Ohio’s school report cards continues to simmer. An outspoken critic since last year’s report card release, Representative Mike Duffey recently unveiled House Bill 591.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Fordham Institute media statement on Ohio’s 2017 NAEP results
Today, the U.S. Department of Education released results from the 2017 round of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Given every two years, this assessment is administered in all 50 states to a random sample of fourth and eighth grade students in reading and math.
Report
Accountability & Testing, School Finance
Ohio Education By the Numbers--2018 Edition
Education will always be one of Ohio’s highest priorities. It bonds communities together, provides the foundation for the state’s long-term economic success, and—most importantly—helps students across the state to realize their potential and pursue their dreams.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Ohio shouldn’t walk back new equity measures for students
Ohio’s Every Student Succeeds Act plan doesn’t include many changes to the state’s current accountability system, but it does make some meaningful adjustments that improve equity within the state.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Guest commentary: Lawmakers should reject state board call for retreat on graduation requirements
By Jack Archer
Commentary
Accountability & Testing
Can mixed assessment methods make biology classes more equitable?
Much attention is fittingly paid to race- and income-based achievement gaps in K-12 schools. But research has also documented similar and worrying gender-based gaps in college classes on high-stakes science tests.
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.