Page 6 - AdminiScope Fall 2012
Basic HTML Version
Page 6
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
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.
