Ohio Department of Education Announces Alternative Assessments for Reading
OHIO – The Ohio Department of Education announced the approval of three alternative assessments for students who do not meet or exceed the promotion score on the reading Ohio Achievement Assessment as required by the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.
The approved assessments are:
- Iowa Assessments Form F Level 9 (Grade 3)
- Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) – Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP)
- Terra Nova 3
According to the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, the alternative assessment for reading will align to end-of-year third grade standards. A student must achieve the accepted third grade level of achievement as designated by the assessment. This may be comparable or more rigorous than the Ohio Achievement Assessment for reading.
Districts can determine when they administer the alternative assessment during the student’s third grade year, which includes the summer. The alternative assessment may only be used for promotion purposes if a student has not reached the promotion score on the third grade Ohio Achievement Assessment for reading.
Students now have four opportunities to demonstrate readiness and be promoted to the fourth grade. This includes the fall, spring and summer Ohio Achievement Assessment and the alternative assessment for reading.
Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee is supposed to ensure that every struggling reader gets the support he or she needs to be able to learn and achieve. The policy guarantees that boys and girls will be able to read at or above a third grade level when they complete third grade. It also suppose to ensure that third grade students who are struggling are identified early and have the interventions necessary to get them reading at a third grade level.
For more information about the alternative assessments or the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, please visit our website at www.education.ohio.gov.
