April 2024

What is the Third Grade Reading Guarantee?

Ohio Department of Education & Workforce created The Third Grade Reading Guarantee in 2012, it is a process that states your child’s school has to determine how well he or she is reading at the beginning of each school year from Kindergarten through Grade 3.  

During the past few years, Ohio schools have been required to retain third graders who do not meet promotional score on Ohio State Test Grade 3 English Language Arts Test or i-Ready, the District’s alternative assessment.  Students are administered the Grade 3 OST English Language Arts Test (fall, spring and summer) and the i-Ready Test (September, December and April)

The 2023-24 Ohio State Test for Grade 3 English Language Arts promotion score is:

• Overall Reading Score: 690
• Reading Sub score: 48
• i-Ready Promotion Score: 515

However, beginning in the 2023-24 School Year, Ohio Department of Education & Workforce, has established an opportunity for parents or guardians to exempt their Grade 3 child from the Third Grade Reading Guarantee retention component under Ohio Law (ORC 3313.608) via the newly created Parent Request Exemption Process. 

Parent Request Exemption Process

In consultation with the student’s reading teacher and principal, the parent or guardian can request that a student be promoted to Fourth Grade regardless of their child’s Ohio State Test for Grade 3 English Language Arts score. The parent must complete the Parent Exemption Request form to finalize this process. The school will assist the parent with how to access this document via the parent portal. 

Students promoted to Fourth Grade through this exemption must continue to receive intensive reading instruction and be placed on a Reading Improvement Monitoring Plan until the student demonstrates that they are reading at a proficient level (700) as indicated by their Ohio State Test English Language Art Tests.

Identified Grade 3 student parents and guardians will receive communication from your school the week of April 29th. After you have received this notification, please contact your child’s school.