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KidsOhio.org Summer / Fall 2012

Ohio’s New Third Grade Reading Guarantee

One in Five Ohio Third Graders Need Help With Reading: New Law Requires All K-3 Students to be Assessed by September 30, 2012

A new state law applies to all Ohio public school students in kindergarten through third grade. Every K-3 student must receive a reading assessment by September 30, 2012. Additionally, district and public charter schools must provide students who are identified as reading below grade level with individualized services, such as tutoring and reading instruction. State education officials say this new law aligns with Ohio’s Race to the Top plan to close achievement gaps, improve overall academic achievement, and increase college attendance. See page 8 for more details. During the 2010-2011 school year, 80 percent of Ohio third graders scored proficient or above on the state reading assessment, while 20 percent of Ohio third graders scored below proficient. All statewide tests in Ohio have five performance levels – advanced, accelerated, proficient, basic and limited. To pass the third grade reading assessment, students must score proficient or above.

“The new third grade reading guarantee is a great opportunity to engage parents sooner.” ~ Dr. Bill Wise, Superintendent South-Western City Schools, Franklin County

Note: This report is based on the most recently available information provided by the Ohio Department of Education, South-Western City Schools, Columbus Preparatory Academy, Ohio Association of Public Charter Schools, and the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Additionally, the Ohio Department of Education is developing the third grade reading assessment and reporting information. Analysis is by KidsOhio.org. We welcome suggestions to improve the content of reports. Please send your suggestions to Erika Braunginn at [email protected].

Table of Contents

Third grade reading introduction ……………………………… 1

Third grade reading proficiency: Urban 8 ……………………. 2

Third grade reading proficiency: Franklin County ……….….. 3

Ohio charter schools …………………………………………… 4

Schools must provide student-specific support …………….. 5

Examples of reading improvement at the local level ……….. 6

Sample reading questions from the state assessment …….. 7

Columbus Metropolitan Library ……………………………….. 7

Exceptions and additional resources ………………………… 8

Ohio’s Race to the Top strategy………………………………. 8

Other states with third grade reading programs …………… 9

References ……………………………………………………… 9

Community groups, such as the Columbus Metropolitan Library, have indicated their willingness to help students and schools meet this challenge. See page 7 for more details.

South-Western City Schools

• 6th largest student body in Ohio with nearly 20,000 enrolled students

• State report card rating: “A” • Economically disadvantaged

students: 55% • Minority students: 29%

More on South-Western, p. 6

A Local Perspective

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The chart below shows Ohio’s Urban 8 school districts and their third grade reading proficiency results for the 2010-2011 school year. The percentage of third graders who passed the exam ranges from 70 percent in Cincinnati to 55 percent in Cleveland and Dayton. None of the Urban 8 districts met the state standard of 75 percent passing.

In Columbus City Schools, 61 percent of third graders passed the state test. Columbus had the largest number of test takers – 3,581 – 700 more than Cleveland. Statewide, 80 percent of tested third graders passed the test and 20 percent scored below proficient. Of Ohio’s Urban 8 districts, 37 percent of tested students read below proficient. The Urban 8 represent 11 percent of Ohio’s public school enrollment, 22 percent of Ohio’s economically disadvantaged students, and 19 percent of Ohio’s third graders needing help with reading.1

More Third Graders Need Reading Help in Urban Areas

3rd Grade Reading Proficiency, Ohio Urban 8, 2010-2011 School Year

% Passed

% Below Proficient

# Students Tested

Total Student Enrollment

% Economically

Disadvantaged Akron 67% 33% 1,707 22,602 85% Canton 66% 34% 655 9,750 81% Cincinnati 70% 30% 2,242 32,009 70% Cleveland 55% 45% 2,881 43,197 >95% Columbus 61% 39% 3,581 49,616 82% Dayton 55% 45% 1,005 14,174 93% Toledo 69% 31% 1,778 22,277 77% Youngstown 59% 41% 364 6,088 92% Urban 8 63% 37% 14,213 199,713 85% State of Ohio 80% 20% 137,924 1,749,252 45%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

3rd Grade Reading Proficiency, Ohio Urban 8, 2010-2011 School Year

% Passed

% Below Proficient % Economically Disadvantaged

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3rd Grade Reading Proficiency, Franklin County, 2010-2011 School Year

% Passed % Below Proficient

# Students Tested

% Economically Disadvantaged

Bexley 91% 9% 161 9% Canal Winchester 84% 16% 282 27% Columbus 61% 39% 3,581 82% Dublin 91% 9% 1,053 14% Gahanna 89% 11% 505 26% Grandview Heights

93% 7% 89 18% Groveport Madison

78% 22% 390 58% Hamilton Local 80% 21% 229 62% Hilliard 88% 12% 1,173 22% New Albany 94% 6% 337 7% Reynoldsburg 84% 16% 445 42% South-Western 75% 25% 1,417 55% Upper Arlington 93% 7% 422 1% Westerville 90% 10% 1,094 28% Whitehall 65% 35% 201 76% Worthington 91% 9% 685 23% Franklin County 78% 22% 12,064 47%

In Franklin County, 78 percent of tested third graders passed the third grade reading test while 22 percent did not pass. Rates range from 94 percent passing in New Albany-Plain to 61 percent passing in Columbus City Schools. Fourteen of the 16 Franklin County districts met the state standard of 75 percent. Additionally, the percentage of enrolled students who were economically disadvantaged in Franklin County was 47 percent, ranging from Upper Arlington with one percent of their district students to Columbus with 82 percent of their district students.2

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

100%

3rd Grade Reading Proficiency, Franklin County, 2010-2011 School Year

% Passed

% Below Proficient % Economically Disadvantaged

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6,000 Third Graders in 152 Charter Schools* In the 2010-2011 school year, 341 public charter schools served nearly 100,000 Ohio students. That year, nearly 6,000 third graders in 152 Ohio charter schools took the third grade reading assessment – 5,113 third graders in “brick and mortar” schools and 849 in virtual online schools.

Of the charter schools serving third graders, 132 are independent, start-up schools located in eight urban cities (Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown); seven are virtual schools; seven are schools that serve students with special learning needs; five are district conversion schools; and one is a rural charter school.

In the urban charter schools, 44 out of the 132 schools, or one-third, met the state reading standard. In the seven virtual charter schools, three of the schools met the state reading standard. In the seven special needs charter schools, two of them met the state standard. Three of the five district conversion schools met the state reading standard. The one rural charter school did not meet the state standard.

21 were ready to read at grade level by 3rd grade, 75% of this class passed the state’s assessment ready to read

Ohio Charter Schools’ 3rd Grade Reading Pass Rates

Charter School Type Below 50%

Between 51%-74%

75% and above

Total # of schools

# 3rd grade test takers

Urban Schools 36 52 44 132 4,736 Virtual Schools 2 2 3 7 849 Special Needs Schools 2 3 2 7 190 District Conversion Schools 0 2 3 5 139 Rural Schools 0 1 0 1 1 Total 40 60 52 152 5,962

Virtual Charter Schools Overall, 70 percent of the 849 students enrolled in a virtual charter school scored proficient or above on the third grade reading assessment in 2010-2011. Ohio Virtual Academy, serving 555 third graders, more than half of all virtual school third graders in the state, had nearly 80 percent of students scoring proficient or above.

*Information on charter schools is provided by the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

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The new law requires that schools provide student-specific reading support and instruction to identified students within 60 days after receiving the test results. Reading support includes intensive, individualized, and regular instruction using research-based strategies.

• The district or charter school must develop a reading improvement and monitoring plan for each student identified as reading below grade level. The plan must do the following: 1. Identify the student’s specific reading skill level 2. Describe the additional instructional services and support 3. Include opportunities for parental involvement 4. Specify a process for monitoring the student’s receipt of the services and support 5. Provide a reading curriculum that continually assesses his or her reading progress using vetted

assessments and research-based strategies 6. State that the student may be retained in third grade for failure to pass the third grade reading

assessment • All retained third-graders will be provided with student-specific instruction that aligns with their

achievement levels to bring them up to grade level.

Schools Must Provide Student-Specific Reading Support

Information to Engage Parents

The parent or guardian must be notified if their K-3 student is identified as reading below grade level. Individualized reading plans must:

• Describe the current services provided to the student

• Describe the proposed supplemental services and supports to be provided

• Explain that the student may be retained in third grade if the student does not pass the third grade reading assessment

• The Ohio Department of Education provides resources on Ohio’s academic content standards and standardized tests through the ODE website: www.ode.state.oh.us3

• To help develop the statewide tests: www.ode.state.oh.us, “Get Involved In Developing Statewide Tests”4

• For additional information on Ohio charter schools: www.oapcs.org5

• Third Grade Reading Guarantee legislation: www.legislature.state.oh.us6 (Ohio Revised Code not yet published)

• Sample questions for the third grade reading assessment: www.ode.state.oh.us,7 “Blueprints for Ohio Achievement Assessment”

• State Library of Ohio: www.library.ohio.gov8 • K-3 assessments: www.ode.state.oh.us,9 “Diagnostic

Assessment Information and Resources”

Resources for Teachers, Parents and Students

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0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

100%

2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011

Percent Passing the Reading Proficiency Assessment, 2007-2008 to 2010-2011

3rd grade

4th Grade

Columbus Preparatory Academy Columbus Preparatory Academy (CPA) is a public charter school founded in 2004 to serve students in grades K-8. In the 2010-2011 school year, it served over 620 students. The school provides “content-rich, academically challenging education in a safe, orderly, disciplined environment.”10 The school improved its pass rate on the third grade reading assessment from 54 percent in 2007-2008 to 94 percent in 2010-2011, a gain of 40 percentage points.11

Examples of Reading Improvement at the Local Level

Student Demographics

• Economically disadvantaged: 74%

• Minority: 40% • “A+” on the State Report

Card in 2010-2011 school year, up from an “F” in 2005-2006

• 40 percentage-point increase in students passing the third grade reading assessment from 2007-2008 to 2010-2011

www.columbuspreparatory.org

South-Western City Schools

Student Demographics

• Economically disadvantaged: 55%

• Minority: 29% • Mobility rate: 14.5% • “A” on the State Report

Card in 2010-2011 school year

• Improved from a “C” on the State Report Card in the 2006-2007 school year

www.swcs.k12.oh.us

With 31 schools serving almost 20,000 students, South-Western City Schools is the second largest student body in Franklin county and the sixth largest in Ohio. According to Ohio’s Kindergarten Readiness Assessment - Literacy* (KRA-L), 21 percent of incoming kindergarteners in 2007-2008 were ready to learn how to read. In the 2010-2011 school year, 75 percent of third grade students in the same class passed the state reading assessment. 12

*The Kindergarten Readiness Assessment – Literacy (KRA-L) measures students in three bands. The graph above shows that 21 percent of South-Western students who entered kindergarten in 2007-2008 were assessed and identified as being in band three, meaning they were ready to learn to read and needed enriched instruction. Students in band two needed targeted instruction and students in band one needed intense reading instruction.

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Third Grade Reading Sample

Questions Ohio’s third grade reading assessment is designed to assess students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities in reading. The students read a series of passages about given topics, and then answer a range of multiple choice, short answer and essay questions.6 Students have two-and-a-half hours to complete the third grade reading assessment.

One example of a passage and questions on the third grade reading assessment is where students read about John Glenn, Ohio’s famous U.S. Senator and astronaut. Students read the passage and then answer questions that are asked at their grade level. Sample third grade questions include:

1. What was this section about? a. List three details that support the main idea

2. John Glenn had multiple jobs. Explain what he did in each job listed below: a. Senator b. Astronaut

3. Using information from the reading selection, list four important things that John Glenn did.

This section of the assessment consists of 14 questions, ranging from multiple-choice, short answer and essay responses.

Columbus Metropolitan Library: Seeking to Improve Early Learning

• 21 branches offered 28,000 Homework Help sessions to students in grades K-3 last year

• Launched Ready to Read Corps • 12 community-based staff • Dedicated bookmobile • Served high-poverty neighborhoods • Coached parents and caregivers on how

to be their child’s first teacher and prepare for kindergarten

• Distributed 8,000 literacy kits to low-income families, with over 75% usage rate

The Columbus Metropolitan Library is eager to collaborate with local schools and families in implementing the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.

For more information: www.columbuslibrary.org, (614) 645-2275

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Beginning in the 2013-2014 school year, third graders who do not pass the third grade reading assessment can be promoted to fourth grade if one or more of the following are met:

1. A student with Limited English Proficiency (2 percent of Ohio students, 10 percent of Columbus City School students), has:

a. Been enrolled in U.S. schools for fewer than two school years. b. Had fewer than two years of instruction in an ESL program.

2. A student with special education needs (15 percent of Ohio students, 17 percent of Columbus City School students), has:

a. An Individual Education Plan (IEP) that exempts them from retention. b. Received intensive remediation in reading for two school years. c. Previously been retained in any of grades K-3, but still demonstrates a deficiency in

reading. 3. A student demonstrates an acceptable level of performance on an alternative standardized

reading assessment, as determined by the Ohio Department of Education. 4. A student has previously been retained in any of the grades K-3, received reading remediation

for two school years, and will continue to receive intensive reading instruction in fourth grade.

Exceptions: How third graders who did not pass the reading assessment can be promoted to fourth grade

Ohio Department of Education officials say the new third grade guarantee law aligns with the State’s Race to the Top strategy and overall goals. The state, in partnership with local schools, is implementing a $400 million, four-year federal Race to the Top grant. Ohio’s Race to the Top goals13 are:

1.Increase high school graduation rates by 0.5% per year

2.Reduce graduation rate gaps by 50% 3.Reduce performance gaps by 50% 4.Reduce the gap between Ohio and the

best-performing states in the nation by 50%

5.More than double the increase in college enrollment for 18- and 19-year-olds

Race to the Top and Third Grade Reading

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References 1. Ohio Department of Education, Power Users Report. www.ode.state.oh.us/gd/templates/pages/ode/odedetail.aspx?page=279 2. Ohio Department of Education, Power Users Report. www.ode.state.oh.us/gd/templates/pages/ode/odedetail.aspx?page=279 3. Ohio Department of Education, Resources for Ohio Achievement Assessment.

www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=222&ContentID=19484&Content=123939 4. Ohio Department of Education, Get Involved in Developing Statewide Tests.

www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=9&ContentID=34244&Content=126604 5. Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools. www.oapcs.org 6. Ohio State Legislature, 129th General Assembly, SB 316. www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=129_SB_316 7. Ohio Department of Education, Blueprints for Ohio Achievement.

http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=222&ContentID=7805&Content=126614 8. State Library of Ohio. http://www.library.ohio.gov/ 9. Ohio Department of Education, Diagnostic Assessment Information and Resources.

http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=236&ContentID=8698&Content=127219 10. Columbus Preparatory Academy, Mission Statement. www.columbuspreparatory.org/ 11. Ohio Department of Education, Power Users Report. www.ode.state.oh.us/gd/templates/pages/ode/odedetail.aspx?page=279 12. Ohio Department of Education, Power Users Report. www.ode.state.oh.us/gd/templates/pages/ode/odedetail.aspx?page=279 13. Ohio Department of Education, Race to the Top. www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODELanding.aspx?page=830 14. Minnesota Department of Education, Reading Well by 3rd Grade. http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/EdExc/ReadWell/index.html 15. Florida Department of Education, Just Read, Florida! www.justreadflorida.com/ 16. Strategies for Children, An Act Relative to Third Grade Reading Proficiency. www.strategiesforchildren.org/eea/EEA5_legis.htm 17. The Colorado Department of Education, Colorado Basic Literacy Act. www.cde.state.co.us/coloradoliteracy/cbla 18. Indiana Department of Education, IREAD-3. www.doe.in.gov/achievement/assessment/iread-3

• Minnesota14 o “Reading Well by Third Grade” initiative launched in summer 2012.

• Florida15 o “Just Read, Florida!” was signed into state law through executive order in 2001. o Includes $130 million in the state’s 2013 budget for reading coaches, reading summer schools, and

professional development. o Results: On the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), third graders increased passing rates

(scoring 3 or above) by 12 percentage points from 2002 to 2010. In 2010, 72 percent of Florida third graders scored at level three and above.

• Massachusetts16 o In July 2012, the House unanimously passed HB 4243, An Act Relative to Third Grade Reading

Proficiency. o Establishes an Early Literacy Expert Panel to advise state education agencies on evidence-based strategies

to improve the language and literacy development of children. • Colorado17

o The Colorado Basic Literacy Act was enacted in 1997 by the Colorado General Assembly to ensure that all students by the third grade have the literacy skills essential for success in school and life. CBLA requires local school districts to identify students who are reading below grade level and give them the necessary reading interventions.

o The Colorado Reading To Ensure Academic Development Act (Colorado READ Act) was passed by the Colorado Legislature in 2012. The READ Act repeals the Colorado Basic Literacy Act (CBLA) as of July 1, 2013, but keeps many of the elements of CBLA such as a focus on K-3 literacy, assessment, and individual plans for students reading below grade level.

• Indiana18 o Originating in the school finance language in the House Enrolled Act 1367 in 2010, starting in March of

2012, state education officials began administering the state IREAD-3 exam to all Indiana third graders. o The third graders have two chances to pass the exam. If they do not pass after two attempts, students will

have to retake third grade versions of the ISTEP and IREAD exams the following school year.

Other States with Third Grade Reading Programs

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KidsOhio.org Board

Abigail Wexner, Board Chair

Dale Heydlauff

Chad Jester

Linda Kass

Jeffrey Lyttle

Frederick L. Ransier, Esq.

Ilana Horowitz Ratner

Elizabeth Ruppert, M.D.

Barbara Trueman

Established in 2002, KidsOhio.org provides nonpartisan information about key education trends in Columbus and statewide. A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, KidsOhio.org is funded by the private sector and does not accept government or school district monies or contracts.

22 East Gay Street, Suite 600 Columbus, Ohio 43215

614.228.6400 www.KidsOhio.org

Leadership and Staff Mark Real, President & CEO

Ann Bischoff, Senior Policy Analyst

Erika Braunginn, Policy Analyst

Mary Hopmann, Office/Business Manager &

Program Associate

This report is sponsored by the American Electric Power Foundation and the Ohio Grantmakers Forum through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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