| Steady Performance - Ninth Grade Proficiency Tests |
| Thursday, January 22, 2004 9:32:43 AM - Middletown Ohio |
Media May Contact:
J.C. Benton (614) 728-2765
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Class of 2004 Maintains Steady Performance on Ninth-Grade Proficiency Tests
Columbus – Ninety-four percent of Ohio’s seniors (117,551 of 125,157) have passed all five parts of the Ninth-Grade Proficiency Tests required for high school graduation, according to the October 2003 administration results released today by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). This figure ties the score of the seniors’ results from the October 2002 and 2001 administrations.
The six percent (7,606) of seniors who still need to pass one or more parts of the test will have two more opportunities to do so this school year (in March and May) prior to their scheduled graduation.
Eighty-seven percent of 11th-graders (Class of 2005) and 74 percent of 10th-graders (Class of 2006) have already passed all parts of the ninth-grade tests. This year’s sophomore class will be the last class required to pass the Ninth-Grade Proficiency Tests to earn an Ohio high school diploma.
The Class of 2007, this year’s ninth-graders, will be the first class required to pass the new Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT). These students will take the OGT for the first time as 10th-graders in March 2005.
Results by Grade Level
Due to federal and state legislation, students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) are now included in accountability calculations. The cumulative results (the percentage of students passing at any time up to, and including, the October 2003 administration) by grade level are as follows:
12th-graders
The Class of 2004 achieved a 99 percent in reading, 98 percent passing rate in writing, 97 percent in citizenship, 96 percent in science and 94 percent in mathematics.
11th-graders
This year’s juniors, the Class of 2005, scored a 97 percent passing rate in reading and writing, 94 percent in citizenship, 91 percent in science and 88 percent in mathematics.
10th-graders
This year’s sophomores, the Class of 2006, scored a 94 percent passing rate in writing, 93 percent in reading, 87 percent in citizenship, 81 percent in science and 78 percent in mathematics.
Chartered Nonpublic Schools
Of the seniors enrolled in nonpublic schools, 99 percent have passed the Ninth-Grade Proficiency Tests. Ninety-seven percent of juniors and 93 percent of sophomores enrolled in nonpublic schools have passed all five ninth-grade tests.
Additional Testing Dates
The Ninth-Grade Proficiency Tests will be administered this school year March 1-14, 2004, and July 5-26, 2004. Seniors who still need to pass one or more parts of the test will have an additional opportunity to do so May 1-10, 2004.
The Class of 1994 was the first class required to pass the Ninth-Grade Proficiency Tests in order to graduate. This class, as well as the next six classes, had to pass the writing, reading, mathematics and citizenship tests. The science test became a requirement for the class of 2001 and beyond.
Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT)
As a result of Senate Bill 1, signed by Gov. Bob Taft in June 2001, the Class of 2006 (this year’s 10th-graders) will be the last class required to pass the Ninth-Grade Proficiency Tests to earn an Ohio high school diploma.
The Ninth-Grade Proficiency Tests will be replaced by the new OGT, which is designed to provide a measure of students’ achievement through the end of grade 10. The OGT is aligned with Ohio’s new academic content standards and will include tests in five subject areas: mathematics, reading, social studies, science and writing.
In March 2003, the OGT in reading and mathematics were administered for the first time to all of Ohio’s 10th-graders. That administration was not a graduation requirement for those students. Rather, it was administered to comply with federal and state legislative requirements. In March 2004, the OGT in reading and mathematics will also be administered to this year’s 10th graders to comply with the same legislative requirements.
The Class of 2007 (this year’s ninth-graders) will be the first class that must pass the OGT to earn an Ohio high school diploma. They will take the tests in reading, mathematics, writing, science and social studies for the first time as 10th-graders in spring of 2005.
To find out more about the new OGT, visit ODE’s Web page: www.ode.state.oh.us/proficiency/OGT/default.asp.
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