(PB) AdminiScope Fall 2012

In a recent report, published by Renaissance Learning, reading practice trends of Ohio’s young children were analyzed. These trends highlight the importance of personalized reading practice and demonstrate how reading practice, as monitored and managed by Accelerated Reader, relates to the objectives of Ohio’s Third Grade Guarantee. Reading practice trends in early grades as measured by Accelerated Reader suggest that students who perform at satisfactory levels on the OAA in third grade consistently spend more time reading, read more challenging books, and better comprehend what they are reading than students at risk for not meeting the standards in Ohio’s Third Grade Guarantee. This report serves as an important reminder that one of the best ways to help students become proficient readers is to provide in-class time for reading practice. The computer- adaptive STAR assessments and Accelerated Reader provide an easy way for educators to identify each student’s unique reading level, set individualized goals, and monitor personalized reading practice. After determining students’ reading level using the STAR Reading Enterprise assessment, educators can set individualized reading practice goals in Accelerated Reader, a proven way to motivate students to read. Easy-to-read Accelerated Reader reports help educators monitor students’ progress towards these goals. Before students become independent readers, STAR Early Literacy Enterprise can help educators monitor their progress by providing detailed early literacy skill information. In addition to identifying independent readers and their appropriate reading ranges, the computer-adaptive STAR Enterprise assessments can help screen students, identify skills students are ready to learn next, find instructional resources to target specific skills, and provide research-based goal setting and progress monitoring tools. STAR Reading Enterprise has also been statistically linked to the Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) helping to assist educators in identifying students who are not ‘on track’ to meet proficiency on the OAA by the end of third grade. To request a copy of this report or for more information please contact Renaissance Learning local account representative Dr. Kathleen Brewer at Kathleen.Brewer@renlearn.com Help students meet third grade proficiency requirements with personalized reading practice

HB55 Overhauls – continued from page 2 being chosen now, likely the PSAT or PLAN test); percentage of Honors Diplomas earned; Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate scores; degree of participation and eventually college-level credits earned while in high school; and industry credentials earned (where appropriate). The college remediation rate will be delayed until at least the 2015-2016 school year in order to allow the Ohio Board of Regents time to develop systems to capture both out of state and private college remediation statistics. Other Important report card provisions: The individual performance components on the report card will be graded using an A-F grading system beginning with the current school year, but there will be no overall grades assigned to schools or districts for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years. Several measures (high school value-added, K-3 literacy, post- secondary credits earned) are under development and will be added to the report card over the next three years or may appear immediately but will not receive a performance grade The State Board of Education will be required to adopt rules regarding the performance benchmarks through a public process that will include stakeholder input. Items such as voucher eligibility and community school closure that utilize current school/district performance designations (like excellent or academic emergency) will continue. However, instead of the overall designation, items will be based on combinations of two or more measures. The bill also requires significant recalibration of several of the performance components and measures prior to the 2014-15 school year to integrate expected Common Core performance levels. Changes Being Sought in the Senate The education organizations have been pursuing additional changes in the Senate, and these revisions would include a delay in implementation of at least one year and the removal of letter grades on items included in the “Prepared for Success” component over which schools and districts have little control (e.g. college entrance examination participation, Advanced Placement enrollment, dual enrollment program students, etc.). Next Steps Following the anticipated approval of the legislation by the General Assembly and signature by the Governor, the plan must move on to the U.S. Department of Education since approval of a revision to Ohio’s accountability system is required if the one-year waiver of certain requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act is to be extended by the federal government. More detailed information on the new report card will be shared during the regional meetings to be held in January.

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