School leaders said this fall that thousands more students than usual are at risk of not graduating this year under Ohio’s harder new state tests. Education groups have argued about whether the new tests are necessary to bring students up to a higher academic bar, or an unfair, unnecessary measure to earn a diploma.
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The graduation changes were added to House Bill 491 as an amendment, and that is the language that will move forward. Education Committee Chair Peggy Lehner said the bill will be considered today by the full Senate, where Lehner said there is strong support.
The Ohio House would still have to approve it as well before Gov. John Kasich could sign it into law. Legislators said last week they expect all those steps to happen before Christmas.
“I do think we need some objective standard to measure academic performance,” said Lehner, R-Kettering. “The test is one way to do that, but as you’ve heard from some witnesses, it isn’t always the only way to do it. We feel that these multiple pathways are creating several different ways for students to demonstrate minimum academic proficiency.
The bill would give current seniors the same graduation options that the Class of 2018 had. Students would still have to pass the required 20 classroom credits, take all state “end-of-course” tests and retake any English or math tests where they scored a 1 or 2 on the 5-point scale.
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But instead of needing certain scores on those tests, students could earn a diploma by meeting two of nine unrelated standards that include good senior-year attendance, strong senior-year classroom grades, work/service hours and a variety of other options. Students who already passed state tests would still qualify to graduate via that route, and career tech students would also have a non-test pathway.
The amendment applies a similar framework for the Class of 2020, but with a few tweaks. Work/service hours and “capstone projects” for Class of 2020 students would have to meet standards to be set next year by ODE, and the strong classroom grades option would apply to courses taken in both junior and senior year. Lehner said the attendance pathway would not be an option for Class of 2020 students.
The Fordham Institute, a prominent education think tank, continued its criticism of the changes to the graduation standards, saying that students “will be left to pay the ultimate price.”
JULY 2017: State OKs softer graduation rules for Class of 2018
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“The modern world economy demands more of its workers than ever before,” said Chad Aldis, Fordham’s vice president for Ohio policy and advocacy. “Unfortunately, instead of rolling up our sleeves and helping all Ohio graduates attain the skills necessary to earn a living wage and support a family, we’ve once again said that simply showing up is enough. If we believe that all students can learn, we owe it to them to provide the supports necessary to prepare them for the future.”
Lehner said legislators have heard repeatedly that the business community needs more workers with “soft skills” of regular attendance, communication and ability to work as part of a team. Asked why the attendance option was removed for the Class of 2020 given that input, Lehner said legislators went back and forth on the issue.
“It basically came down to, we had people on both sides of the arguments, so we split the baby – left it in for this year and took it out for 2020,” Lehner said.
Next year, the state legislature will consider long-term changes for the graduation requirements starting with the current sophomore class, based on recommendations from the Ohio Department of Education. ODE has already come up with such a plan that would allow students to earn a diploma by showing skills in a variety of ways, rather than just tests, in five areas — English, math, technology, other academic subjects and leadership/social development.
For example, a student might meet the English requirement via a state test but meet the math standard via GPA in school classes, and qualify in their other subjects and leadership via a deep project called a “culminating student experience.”
Lehner said the legislature wants more detail from ODE in the coming months before moving forward with legislation.
“I think one of the biggest mistakes we make in education policy is turning the ship too fast,” Lehner said. “Getting used to a test – for teachers to know what’s on the test and what students need to know, and to get comfortable with it – that takes a few years. … I think this three-year transition period is a lot better.
“We’re taking our time to work on the permanent fix and really weighing it back and forth. We’ll probably get some schools to try it out this year and give us some test runs, and hopefully we’ll end up with a better product.”
EXISTING GRADUATION RULES
If no change is made in the state legislature, current high school students would have these three pathways to a diploma, all of which also require students earn 20 course credits.
** Earn at least 18 of 35 points on seven end-of-course state tests, including minimums of four points in math, four points in English and six points across science and social studies.
** Earn state-approved job credentials in a single career field and earn the required score on WorkKeys, a work-readiness test.
** Earn “remediation-free” scores in math and English on either the ACT or SAT.
PROPOSED GRADUATION CHANGES
PRIMARY PATH
In addition to earning the 20 course credits, students would have to take required end-of-course state exams, and retake any state math or English test on which they scored less than 3 out of 5 points.
They would also need to meet two of the following nine standards:
** 93 percent senior-year attendance (Class of 2019 only)
** 2.5 GPA in at least four full-year senior-year courses (covers junior AND senior year courses for Class of 2020)
** Complete a “capstone” project
** Complete 120 hours of senior-year work or community service
** Earn three credit hours via College Credit Plus
** Pass an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate course and score at least 3 on the AP exam or 4 on the IB exam
** Pass three components of the state’s job skills assessment
** Earn approved job credentials equal to at least three total points in Ohio’s system
** Earn the OhioMeansJobs readiness seal.
CAREER TECH PATH
Earn the required course credits, including a four-course career-tech training program, plus take required end-of-course state exams. Then accomplish one of these three things:
** Earn a cumulative score of proficient on career-tech assessments
** Earn certain state-approved job credentials
** Complete 250 hours of workplace experience, with positive evaluations from a supervisor.
If graduation rules change, the Class of 2019 would have to meet two of nine standards rather than passing state tests. The most commonly used options are:
• 93 percent senior-year attendance
• 2.5 GPA in four full-year senior courses
• A “capstone” project
• 120 senior-year work or service hours
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