Middletown Schools changes tests, grading for new state grad rules

Some Middletown High School students will see changes to their testing and grading of exams in reaction to new Ohio graduation standards scheduled to start at the end of next school year.

Ohio's new graduation testing system applies first to this year's juniors who are scheduled to graduate at the end of the 2017-2018 school year but Middletown school officials said it will be freshmen and sophomores — about 900 students — most impacted by the new exam and grading changes.

Most of Middletown’s juniors are already on track to graduate under the new state standards and many will not be affected, said Middletown Schools’ spokeswoman Destini Burns.

Middletown students who are seniors this school year will also not be affected.

The new Ohio testing system requires a set of seven tests — two English, two math, two social studies and one science — each graded on a 1-to-5 point scale from limited to advanced.

Students must earn a total of 18 points on those seven tests to graduate. That means a student could score lower on some tests, and make up for it on others. But there are caveats — a student must score at least 4 combined points on the two math tests, 4 points on the two English tests, and 6 points on the three science/social studies tests. Students can retake the tests as needed.

Burns said “due to the new state mandated end of course exams, the district has made some major changes to their regular exams and the grading policy effective immediately.”

Middletown High School Principal Carmela Cotter said the change, which comes from a school board action last week, “means that our students will not have a traditional exam schedule. They will be taking end of course tests.”

There is a closing time window, said Cotter, and district officials wanted to adjust to the new testing — and move away from the traditional exams — in a rapid fashion because “this is the first year that we have kids who are taking the test for the first time and may be repeating their tests. We believe it would be overwhelming for our students if we ran two series of tests that were in competition for their attention.”

“We have made this decision for our students because these end of course tests carry so much weight,” said Cotter. “The scores students receive on the end of course tests accrue points that are required to be eligible for graduation. We want all of our students to feel confident and want them to understand that what we do in class is tied to the end of course test that the state gives and requires.”

Middletown High School students and their parents were notified of the change Monday and were encouraged to ask school teachers or guidance counselors about the changes.

Middletown City Schools Superintendent Sam Ison is among a handful of other area superintendents who recently expressed concerns that the new, tougher graduation requirements will lead to large percentages of high school seniors not graduating at the end of the 2017-2018 school year.

Ison also told the Journal-News earlier this month: “The constant changing of the expectations is what frustrates educators.”

“The tracking of the points and the increased stress on the student, not to mention the teachers, is becoming a more logistical nightmare,” Ison said.

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