Springfield and Yellow Springs school districts, along with the Global Impact STEM Academy, were notified yesterday that they have received conditional approval to opt out of significant state and federal testing requirements.
Dr. Richard Ross, who is Ohio's superintendent of public instruction, informed both school districts and the STEM Academy that they will be able to use alternative assessments to monitor student progress and reduce the amount of state assessments required by law.
In February, Springfield City School superintendent, Dr. David Estrop, and superintendent of Yellow Springs Schools, Mario Basora, submitted five-year testing waiver applications, seeking to reduce state-required testing and instead use more performance based assessments designed to measure knowledge and critical skills required for college and career success.
Officials from both school districts and the STEM Academy state that they will maintain a consistent level of academic rigor and accountability with the testing waiver in place.