Board hears update on Ohio’s third-grade reading guarantee; district outlines interventions and retention rules

Sherry Martin, the district’s kindergarten-through-fifth-grade coordinator of academic achievement, told the Bradford Board of Education on April 18 that the Department of Education and Workforce updated guidance this spring for Ohio’s third-grade reading guarantee.

Martin said districts must administer a state-approved reading diagnostic (the district uses i-Ready) by Sept. 30 for students in grades 1–3 and during the first 20 days of instruction for kindergarten. ‘‘Once our students take the i-Ready reading diagnostic, their score will determine whether or not they are considered on or off track in reading,’’ she said.

Under the guidance, students identified as off track must have a Reading Improvement and Monitoring plan (referred to in the presentation as a ‘‘RIM’’ or ‘‘REMP’’) developed within 60 days of diagnostic results that outlines targeted supplemental instruction, progress monitoring and parent involvement. Martin said the plans must document the identified reading deficiency, proposed supplemental instruction and how progress will be monitored.

Martin described the state’s high-dosage tutoring requirement as ‘‘additional instructional time of at least 3 days per week or at a rate of at least 50 hours over 36 weeks.’’ She said such tutoring must align with classroom instruction and the science of reading and can be delivered by either approved vendors or through time built into the school day.

She summarized cut scores cited in the guidance: a promotion score roughly 690 (the presentation referenced ‘‘6 90’’), a proficient score of 700, a reading subscore of 48, and an i-Ready cut mentioned as 515. Martin also reviewed mid-year promotion criteria the state outlined for students retained at the school year start, and she noted exemptions from mandatory retention for some students with IEPs and for students previously retained who have had two years of intensive remediation.

Board members asked whether the slides and state guidance could be posted on the district website and made available to families; Martin said the materials can be shared and that principals and intermediate teachers have already received the information. One board member urged proactive family outreach: ‘‘Any way that we can communicate, I feel like, is a must.’’

Martin said retained students’ status and promotion outcomes are reported in the district system (AMS). She also cautioned that choosing an outside vendor requires ensuring the vendor meets state criteria and appears on the state-approved list, because selecting a program outside the approved list can have implications for federal funding.

Martin volunteered to present the guidance to families at a district event. The board did not take policy action at the meeting; the presentation served as information and a prompt for future communication and local implementation planning.