Ohio teachers union wants to end Third Grade Reading Guarantee retention policy

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTVG) - The Ohio Education Association is calling for the end of mandatory retention related to third-grade standardized testing.

OEA is encouraging the State Board of Education to approve a proposed resolution asking the General Assembly to eliminate the requirement that third-grade students must repeat the grade if they do not meet cut scores on standardized tests.

OEA says recent academic research by Furman University Professor Paul Thomas revealed mandatory retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee not only fails to result in academic gains for students over time, but also disproportionately impacts students of color.

“The Ohio Education Association has long advocated for an end to this harmful practice and urges the Ohio Senate to act quickly to pass House Bill 497, as approved by the Ohio House this spring,” said OEA President Scott DiMauro. “HB 497 ensures there will be more time for meaningful teaching and learning, rather than onerous test prep, and ensures decisions about whether a student should be advanced to the fourth grade are made by their parents, educators, and school administrators, not by some arbitrary cut-off score or misguided policies from politicians in Columbus.”

You can read OEA’s full resolution below.

State Bd of Education Resolution on Third Grade Reading Guarantee by Sarah McRitchie on Scribd

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