Analysis of Local Report Cards: Ohio Urban School Performance for 2008-09

August 26, 2009

Since 2003, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute has been analyzing the academic performance of schools in our hometown of Dayton and in other Ohio cities. We continued that analysis this year, taking a close look at the local report card data released by the Ohio Department of Education yesterday (see here).

A little history

During the six years we've been analyzing this data we have seen the evolution of the state's assessment and reporting system and have come to appreciate how rich the information it provides is. When we first started to examine student achievement data in August 2003, Governor Taft had just signed into law House Bill 3 (HB3) which put Ohio into compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind law.  Prior to HB3, Ohio students in grades four, six, and nine only were required to take proficiency tests in five areas (reading, mathematics, writing, science, and citizenship).

In 2004, the state moved toward testing all students in grades three through eight with achievement tests in reading, mathematics, writing, science, and social studies, and in high school via the Ohio Graduation Test. The state's testing system was rolled out over five years, and by 2008 it was fully operational across all grades and subjects tested (see here).  

In August 2008, Ohio became one of a handful of states that not only evaluated students' performance against academic standards, but also measured academic growth over time through a system

» Continued

Analysis of Local Report Cards: Ohio Urban School Performance for 2008-09