Ohio’s school report cards are being released today, and a change in how the state measures third-grade reading could mean lower scores for some school districts.
Akron Public Schools expects its overall report-card rating to drop by about half a star, partly because the state is changing how it calculates third-grade reading promotion results.
How the reading measurement is changing
In previous years, a district could report a 100% promotion rate if every third-grade student moved on to fourth grade even if some students had not passed the third-grade reading test.
Under the new measurement, the state counts only students eligible for promotion based on their reading scores.
Jeff Wensing with the Ohio Education Association explained the change.
“The 80% of the students that passed the third grade reading test get promoted. That's the number they'll use, not the number in totality that have been moved to fourth grade," Wensing said.
The change could result in lower early-literacy scores for districts across Ohio. The Ohio Education Association said those lower scores could also affect some districts’ overall report-card ratings.
"I think there is a possibility that number will be lower. So, as a result, it may ding that district overall a little bit in their state report card score. So, those scores might not be as high as they were last year," Wensing said.
What happens if a school receives a low rating?
The report cards look at more than just how students are doing in reading. They also factor in test scores, absenteeism, graduation rates and how prepared students are for life after high school.
And for schools and districts that fall short of state standards, a low rating can bring added attention. If those low scores continue, the state can step in with additional support and monitoring.
Why third-grade reading matters
Researchers say early reading performance can have long-term effects on students.
Mark Seidenberg, a professor at the University of Wisconsin, said students who fall behind early can face increasingly larger academic gaps as they progress through school.
“What happens more often is that those differences then kind of get multiplied. The effects of them increase over time rather than decrease, which is really unfortunate."
The ratings are expected to be available online today at reportcard.education.ohio.gov.
