What do our students need to graduate from high school in Ohio?

Although new graduations requirementswere to begin with the class of 2018, affecting students who entered high school in the 2014-2015 school year or after, these new requirements have recently come under fire.

School superintendents are protesting that as many as 40% of their students may not be able to reach the newly required 18 points on end-of -course exams. Data released by the Ohio Department of Education on November 15 showed that 29% of eleventh- grade students are not on track to graduate under these new requirements and will require some sort of intervention
to do so.

On November 16 a rally was held on the statehouse steps to highlight these concerns, with about 200 hundred superintendents, school board members, and educators attending.

Under the new system, which effects this year’s juniors, students must achieve at least 4 out of a possible 5 in both English and Math and at least 6 points across Social Studies and Science.

Superintendents across our state are citing the difficulty of the new tests compared to the old measures, causing proficiency levels to dramatically drop in their school districts.

Ohio Superintendent Paolo Demaria cautions us not to be too alarmed as this reported low rate does not consider that there are two additional ways to meet the graduation requirements-— remediation- free scores on ACT or SAT college admission exams or earning an industry-recognized credential and a workforce readiness score.

Recognizing cited concerns, however, the Ohio Board of Education is slated to vote in December on a proposal offered by Vice-President Tess Elshoff that would ease the requirements for the classes of 2018 and 2019, requiring them to earn 15 points on end-of-course exams. Then the total would be increased by one point each year until it again reaches 18 points for 2022 and beyond.

Elshoff stated, “The key message I hear… is that the rigor is not too hard: it’s just everyone needs some time.” Her proposal, if passed in December, would provide that much needed time for adjustment.

For additional information related to Ohio’s Graduation Requirements:

Graduation Requirements for 2018 and Beyond

Ohio Options for a High School Diploma

Questions and Answers about Ohio’s Graduation Requirements