The Ohio House overwhelmingly passed a bill that changes the way K-12 students are tested for this school year, because of interrupted learning during the COVID pandemic.
The bill would waive state-mandated annual exams and require the Ohio Department of Education to request a waiver for federally-required testing.
Instead, state Rep. Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield) says the bill will allow for final course grades to be used instead of tests scores for high school graduates. It also gives schools extra days to conduct proficiency tests.
“Substitute House Bill 67 has one single purpose – to provide relief to students who are returning to school so that these tests have as little impact on them as possible for this school year and this school year only,” Koehler says.
But because there’s no emergency clause, the bill wouldn’t take effect till after the school year ends. It’s expected the Senate will change that.
The U.S. Education Department sent a letter to state school leaders and governors last month, saying that states must resume testing in math and reading.
The Ohio Education Association, which represents many teachers across the state, testified in favor of HB67, saying that it would not provide reliable data and would take away time from classroom instruction.
