OHIO — Unless something changes quickly within the Ohio legislature, some third graders across the state could face being held back.
What You Need To Know
- The State Board of Education passed a resolution last fall that urged the legislature to end mandatory retention
- Some feel the pause on mandatory retention lessened the pressure of kids and parents
- The Literacy and Learning Committee is collaborating with the Ohio Educational Research Center to look at schools’ student achievement in comparison to their community wealth
Concerns over the impact of the pandemic on third-grade students prompted legislators a few years ago to put a pause on third-grade retention.
Proposals have been put forth to get rid of third grade retention altogether.
“Unfortunately, because legislation has not been reintroduced, and the Senate failed to act on the bill that was proposed in the fall… mandatory retention is in place for this year,” said State Board of Education Member Christina Collins (District 7). “And I don’t see that changing at this point with the timeline. So, students who are unable to pass their state test or any alternative tests would be under the mandatory retention rule.”
Collins believes the pause on the rule lessened the pressure kids and parents faced.
As the parent of a first-grade student, she acknowledged she worked hard with her child, who still has some challenges with reading. So, she understands what it feels like to not be under such pressure to perform.
Currently, the State Board of Education’s Literacy and Learning Committee is collaborating with the Ohio Educational Research Center to look at schools’ student achievement compared to their community wealth that stands out.
The goal is to see where students are performing above where they would be expected to perform. This, as wealthier communities, has higher student achievement, according to Collins.
“We’re looking at those outlying schools to see what are they doing that is special,” said Collins. “What is helping those students achieve?”