Posted: 5:06 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, 2014

1 in 8 fails to pass third-grade reading test

Ohio students have 2 chances left this summer; many won’t fully advance to fourth grade in the fall.

By Eric Schwartzberg

Staff Writer

    One of every eight Ohio third-graders has yet to pass the state reading test, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the Ohio Department of Education.

    Under Ohio’s new Third-Grade Reading Guarantee, those 16,068 students are at risk of repeating third grade unless they qualify for a waiver, or pass the state reading test or an approved alternative test this summer.

    “These preliminary results show that most Ohio students have mastered the reading skills they need to be successful, but more needs to be done,” said State Superintendent Richard Ross. “We need to continue and in some cases increase our efforts to ensure every boy and girl in Ohio will have the skills necessary to be lifelong learners.”

    Hamilton City School District saw 87.4 percent of its third-graders pass the test, matching the state average, according to ODE.

    “The district was proud of the job third grade students did on the reading OAA this year, and there was a great deal of growth in third grade scores between the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years,” said Keith Millard, Hamilton’s assistant superintendent of instruction.

    Middletown City School District saw 82.1 percent of its third-graders pass the reading portion of the OAA.

    “We’re right in there then,” said Debbie Houser, curriculum coordinator for the district. “If the state average is 87.4 that means that you had quite a few above that and quite a few below that, so we’re within five percent.”

    In Butler County, Talawanda School District had the highest passage rate. Of its 196 students, 185 passed the test, a 94.4 percent passage rate.

    The New Miami school fared the worst with just 39 of its 55 third graders, or 70.9 percent, passing the test.

    In Warren County public schools, Wayne Local School District had the highest passage rate. Ninety-nine of its 101 third grade students passed the test, a 98 percent passage rate.

    Franklin schools finished with 88.9 percent passing, the least amount among Warren County’s eight districts, but still outpaced half of Butler County districts.

What happens next?

    Three categories of students are exempt from repeating third grade regardless of their reading test scores —“limited English proficient” students who have had less than three years in an English as a Second Language program; special education students on certain Individualized Education Programs; and students who were retained in a previous grade.

    ODE spokesman John Charlton said schools can give third-graders one more crack at the OAA exam in reading during the week of July 7. In addition, students can also take one of the alternative tests — the Iowa Assessment, Terra Nova 3, or the Measurement of Academic Progress — at any time during the summer.

    Hamilton and Middletown school districts this week are contacting parents of third grade students who did not earn a minimum qualifying score of 392 on the fall third-grade reading OAA to inform them of their child’s results.

    “We have to turn right around and test those children that haven’t made the cutoff the week of July 7, so that’s a quick turnaround,” Houser said.

    Still, some students will not pass the reading exam this summer. Under Ohio law, those students can still take fourth-grade classes in all other subjects next fall if they are ready, but they are required to get 90 minutes of reading instruction each school day, and work with a “high-performing reading teacher.”

    If the student’s reading improves, he or she can be tested and moved fully into the fourth grade in the middle of the year.

    Hamilton students who need additional supports in third-grade reading will be enrolled in the district’s summer school program that will begin on Monday, Millard said.

    “These students will have the opportunity to take the reading OAA again in the summer, as well as the Terra Nova 3 in order to earn a qualifying score to potentially be promoted to fourth grade,” he said.

    Middletown students who haven’t made the 392 cutoff will take part in a test prep intervention program, then take the OAAs again in July, Houser said.

    Millard said Hamilton City School District strategically scheduled summer school this year to accommodate the return date of the test results.

    “While there is a short window for intervention, the district feels strongly that the interventions in place during summer school will aid in helping students grow and be successful on the summer reading assessments,” he said.

    School starts on Aug. 13. Those Hamilton third graders who earn a passing score on the Terra Nova will be eligible for promotion to fourth grade, and that score will be available at the end of summer school, Millard said. For those who do not pass the Terra Nova, promotion decisions will have to wait until the summer OAA scores are returned on Aug. 15, he said.

    Middletown will turn to the results of Measures of Academic Progress — or MAP — for its alternative assessment, Houser said.

    “Those students who have not made criteria up until this point, they could possibly hit that 392 when the test scores come back at the beginning of the next school year and then they could be promoted to the fourth grade,” she said.

Staff Writer Jeremy P. Kelley contributed to this report.

 

Vet,

Ms. Andrew:

"Well, you are certainly correct that Middletown's 82.1% is below the state average of 87.4%. We certainly would not want to look on any positive side of the story, including the fact that the vast majority -- 82% -- of Middletown third graders passed the third grade reading guarantee, despite the majority of them having started kindergarden behind, and testing as not ready for kindergarden. Geez, if we looked at it that way, we might have to admit that Middletown schools are doing something right, and that would not jibe with your story line that the Middletown schools are a complete failure, right?"

The Middletown schools are not a complete failure Ms. Andrew. They are, however, stuck in neutral and not moving upward enough, quickly enough, to make one feel good about things. YOU, were not here when the schools were excellent, respected, performing and I attended them. YOU have been here, however, to have seen nothing but complacency with regard to achieving anything close to what they were back then.

Ms. Andrew:

"Under the scoring system in place for the last 10 years or so, this year's 78% passing would have earned Middletown an "indicator" on the state report card -- you know, Vet, the ones you like to say we only have 6 of, even though last year it was 8? However, starting with the school year that just ended, the state has changed the rules, and a district will only earn an indicator if 80% or more of students in a particular subject and grade pass the test. Seems a little arbitrary"

You were at 6 for years. You improved to as high as 10 indicators met and fell backwards to 6 at some point in time. Now you say it was 8 last year. So be it. Fact is, you folks have been bouncing around for years in a window of 6 to 10 met. The indicator system has been around for how many years now? And your schools have not come close to meeting half of them.....ever. It if took you a decade or so to come close to, but not reach the half way point, how many decades, at your current pace, will it take to reach the top? Give us an estimate as to year.

I notice that every time you respond to criticism, you love to spin the internal comparison of Middletown school improvements. The reason you never compare Middletown's performance with the surrounding schools is because they are light years beyond what you are producing and while the numbers would be more accurate, wouldn't impress anyone as you like to spin it. Your internal number comparison is bogus because you are using a poor performance number from last year to compare to a slightly improved poor performance number from the current. Doesn't matter. BOTH are still poor compared to the rest of the community schools around us.

ANALOGY TIME:

THE SCHOOL POSITION IS....

I HAVE A BARREL FULL OF BAD APPLES FROM LAST YEAR AND I WANT YOU TO COMPARE THIS YEAR'S BARREL OF BAD APPLES THAT SEEMS TO HAVE FEWER DEFECTS IF YOU LOOK HARD ENOUGH.

Why not attempt to change the process to SIGNIFICANTLY ELIMINATE the bad apple possibilities so that you won't have to look so hard to convince people that you have improved enough for them to notice? You are suggesting that we should all get really excited about a small gain over such a long time. It isn't impressive, not when it has taken decades to get to the middle of the lower echelon of the schools in Ohio.

Ms. Andrew:

"If you keep them back in third grade because they are still learning English as a second language, you are putting them further behind in the other subjects."

IF YOU DON'T KEEP THEM BACK TO LEARN ENGLISH, IT WON'T MATTER HOW WELL THEY DO IN THE OTHER SUBJECTS. IF THEY CAN'T COMMUNICATE PROPERLY IN THIS COUNTRY, HOW ARE THEY GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR JOB CAREERS AS THEY ATTEMPT TO COMMUNICATE ON A DAILY BASIS? THIS IS AN ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY. WE SHOULD NOT CHANGE THAT FACT TO ACCOMODATE THOSE THAT SPEAK OTHER LANGUAGES. WE SHOULD NOT COMPROMISE OUR METHODS TO ACCOMODATE THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO LIVE HERE. IF THEY CHOOSE TO COME HERE TO LIVE, THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LEARNING THE LANGUAGE. ADOPTING THEIR LANGUAGE AS AN ALTERNATIVE IS NOT AN OPTION MS. ANDREW. JMO

Ms. Andrew:

"Plus, increasing the risk they will drop out of school (see above)."

THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE FOR THEM. THEY CAN ALWAYS RETURN TO THEIR NATIVE COUNTRY AND ATTEND THE SCHOOLS THERE.

TOO KIND....TOO GENTLE MS. ANDREW. TOO MANY PROBLEMS TO SOLVE AND WILL ONLY GET WORSE BY STAYING WITH THIS MINDSET. THE COUNTRY WAS BETTER OFF WHEN WE HAD A MORE STRICT, RIGID, NON-COTTLING, RULES ENFORCED SOCIETY.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW SCHOOLS. GLAD YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED. BE HAPPY MS. ANDREW.   

No rant nor Debie Downer. Spoken on factual observation and an eye on the decline throughout Middletown, throughout the nation.

I agree Spider. 
Time for everyone to wake up, roll up their sleeves, go to work and make this a better world.
Every year we are falling a little further down the ladder of greatness. 

blue 7,  I am not sure if the percentages that the state has released take into account students who, because of their special needs, take an Alternative Assessment.  Middletown does have a higher percentage of students with special needs than other districts. The state mandates that a very small percentage of students may have a passing score on an Alternative Assessment qualify as passing the standard achievement test.  For the rest of special education students beyond that limited number, they are counted as below proficient, even if they passed the Alternative Assessmen (unless they took the regular standardized test and passed it)t.