Ohio state testing up for discussion amid school closures

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Friday plans to waive federal state testing requirements for schools. Federal requirements will be waived due to unprecedented school shutdowns in several states. It will be up to individual states' legislatures to postpone or waive their own testing. In Ohio, the issue is one of several legislators plan to tackle in the coming week, said state Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville. "The states can independently decide whether they want to do testing or not and not have to worry about funding or federal requirements," he said. Normally, students in grades three to eight take English and math tests; in addition to science tests in grades five and eight. High school students are required to pass several end-of-course exams in English, math, science and social studies to graduate. The English test given in third grade is used in the state's Third Grade Reading Guarantee program, and can determine whether or not a student moves on to the fourth grade. Under the more than 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act, funding is earmarked for professional development, instructional materials, educational support and parental involvement. It created Title I, which designates federal funding for low-income schools, and reauthorizations of it under No Child Left Behind and Every Student Succeeds acts included provisions for state performance minimums and college readiness. It's most recent version, Every Student Succeeds, requires annual state report cards -- which will also be up for discussion, Manning said. The Ohio Department of Education relies in-part on testing data to compile information included in the current state report card. State testing also affects Ohio teacher evaluations and, under current laws, if a district loses local control under House Bill 70. Ohio Department of Education update The state department of education released a brief update Thursday, with State Superintendent Paolo DeMaria encouraging teachers during the ongoing closure. The update included a link to information for students with disabilities, including those on Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs. "Some of the key ideas is we want to be practical, but also be safe," DeMaria said in a video statement. "We need to be problem solvers and be creative and flexible in what we're doing. We know it's not going to be as perfect as it may usually be during the school year but we have to make a good-faith effort, but at the same time we also have to be cognizant of the realities and the circumstances in which we are operating." Under the extended guidelines, IEP annual reviews can be done over the phone or via video, and some exceptions can be made for IDEA evaluations, including delaying face-to-face evaluations for students with disabilities until the mandatory building closure is lifted. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.