Bedford Schools: Preliminary graduation test results mixed

Preliminary graduation test results mixed: 10th-graders score high in reading, writing; fall short in math, science, social studies
by Karen Mathena and Emily Canning-DeanRegional Editor and Reporter

The Ohio Department of Education reported July 13 preliminary and unverified results of the Ohio Graduation Test, which was administered to 10th graders in March.In the Bedford School District, 91 percent of students were proficient in reading, 59.8 percent in math, 80.4 percent in writing, 46.2 percent in science and 67.2 percent in social studies.Each school district has 30 days to contest the results to the ODE before official results are released later this summer, according to the ODE.The OGT tests students in reading, math, writing, science and social studies. The test replaced the Ninth-Grade Proficiency Test last year, beginning with the class of 2007.With both preliminary reading and writing scores above a 75 percent proficiency rate, the district should receive content standards - a “point” - in both categories on the state report card, which will be released next month. “We are especially happy about our reading score,” said Bedford Superintendent Marty Motsco. “We focus on reading here because it is so vital in all areas.”Motsco said the district strives to work with students to improve scores and education. “We have interventionists at the elementary schools who can assist students all day,” she said. “We have volunteer tutors and after school tutoring programs. We also use computers to assess where our children are at and where they need improvement.”Students must achieve a proficient score on the test to meet graduation requirements. Students who do not pass the test during their sophomore years have the opportunity to retake the test during the fall and spring of their junior and senior years.Statewide, of the approximately 134,000 students who took each section of the test, 90.7 percent achieved at least a proficient score in reading, 79.6 percent in math, 82.1 percent in writing, 70.9 percent in science and 77.5 percent in social studies.Nearly 63.6 percent of the students who took all five tests achieved at least a proficient score on all five sections.All public and community schools in the state administered the test, along with some chartered schools, which were not included in the results.The OGT tests students on the state standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002.

E-mail: kmathena@recordpub.netPhone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3154