Third Grade Reading Guarantee
The ability to read is the foundation of learning. Research shows that children who are not reading at a third grade level by the end of grade three will likely have trouble learning in all classroom subjects in higher grades.
In June of 2012, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce enacted new legislation referred to as the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Ohio's Third Grade Reading Guarantee is a program to identify students that are behind in reading from kindergarten through third grade. Schools will provide help and support to make sure students are on track for reading success by the end of third grade. State law requires the State Board of Education to annually increase the promotion score for grade 3 English language arts until it reaches proficient for the 2024-2025 school year.
What Is The Guarantee?
Ohio's Third Grade Reading Guarantee is a program to identify students from kindergarten through grade 3 who are behind in reading. Schools will provide help and support to make sure students are on track for reading success by the end of third grade. The Department provides policy guidance, instructional tools and resources on the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Click here for Third Grade Reading Guarantee information from ODEW:
http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio/Literacy/Third-Grade-Reading-Guarantee
How Does It Work?
In kindergarten through grade three, schools will evaluate all children to determine if they are reading as well as they should be. Students in kindergarten through second grade will be assessed using Acadience Reading screeners and diagnostics, while students in Grade 3 are assessed using MAP (Measures of Academic Progress). If a child appears to be falling behind in reading, the school will immediately start a reading improvement plan for that student.
Reading Improvement Plan - This plan will address each student's unique reading difficulties. Schools will monitor the plan to make sure the student's reading is improving.
In addition, schools will work closely with parents to develop opportunities for parents to be able to support the plan.
Except for students with special circumstances, students must meet a minimum score on the state reading test to move on to the fourth grade. In 2024-2025, any student who scores 700 or higher on the English Language Arts scaled score is performing proficiently and is eligible for promotion at the end of the year. Any student who scores 50 or higher on the reading subscore will also be eligible for promotion at the end of the year, even if the student scores below 700 on the grade 3 English language arts test. Lastly, any student who scores 196 or higher on the MAP Growth in grade 3 is also eligible for promotion to the fourth grade.
Resources to Help Your Child
Resources to provide parents with the tools and information to help their children learn to read and develop other skills to succeed.
Resources from INFOhio