Many Ohio school districts have improved their reading scores after complying with the state’s new Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Some local districts did better than others.
The Third Grade Reading Guarantee is just over a year old. The law requires schools to provide extra help for struggling readers in kindergarten through third grade. And, it holds students back in third grade if they don’t pass a reading test at the end of the year.
The Ohio Department of Education reports more than 95 percent of kids statewide were able to move on to the fourth grade. That’s up from 88 percent last year.
“We still have work to do, but we can see that the guarantee has been effective,” said Richard A. Ross, state superintendent of public instruction.
Overall, most districts in Greene, Clark, Miami and Warren counties saw similar results. But Montgomery County schools didn’t fare as well. Dayton Public Schools, Trotwood-Madison and Northridge all had just around 85 percent of third-graders pass the reading test this year.
Two Montgomery County charter schools were among the lowest performing schools in the state. Only 47 percent of students at Dayton Leadership Academies and only 50 percent at City Day Community School got the minimum score.
Thirty-four local districts outperformed the statewide average.