No Child Left Behind Law

On June 7th at Cincinnati.com, Denise Smith Amos reported that a new report out says that public school students all across the nation have in general scored higher since the No Child Left Behind law has been enacted.

The national Center for Education Policy, studied standardized test results in 50 states for the years before and after No Child Left Behind, which went into effect in 2002. The center reported that the biggest improvements were found to be in elementary school math. Reading gains also were achieved.

Also the achievement gaps for African-American students and low-income students are improving. However schools still have a long way to go before 100 percent of their students reach proficiency in reading and math, a goal that has been set for the year 2014.

In Ohio it was not possible for researchers to do a before-and-after comparison of student achievement. Ohio has substantially changed its academic standards and state tests since the No Child Left Behind, switching from "proficiency tests" to "achievement tests,' which more closely link to the state's academic standards.
The report shows the percentage of students proficient in Math in reading. The charts are below.

Percentage of Ohio students proficient in reading

Grade 2004 2005 2006
3rd grade 78% 77% 75%
8th grade NA 79% 77%
10th grade OGT 79% 92% 89%

Percentage of Ohio students proficient in math

Grade 2005 2006
3rd grade 70% 75%
8th grade 60% 69%
10th grade OGT 82% 83%

Governor to Hold Conference on Increasing the Graduation Rate of African American Males

A press release was released today. Governor Ted Strickland is holding a confernce tomorrow May 30th on Increasing the Graduation Rate of African American Males. The press release is below.




For Immediate Release: Contact: Keith Dailey

Tuesday, May 29, 2007 614 644-0957/614 506-4949

Keith.Dailey@governor.ohio.gov


Governor to Hold Conference on Increasing the Graduation Rate of African American Males

Columbus, Ohio - Governor Ted Strickland and former state Sen. C.J. Prentiss, the Governor's Special Representative for Closing the Achievement Gap, will host a conference tomorrow, May 30, in Columbus focused on increasing the graduation rate of African American males.

"The low graduation rate of African American males is a problem with widespread implications for our state," Strickland said. "We need to work to keep these young people in school -- for the benefit of themselves, our communities and the economic strength of the state."

In the 2004-05 school year, only 64.4 percent of black males graduated from high school in Ohio, compared to white males at 88.2 percent. Overall in the 2004-05 school year, 68.4 percent of black students graduated from high school in Ohio, while 89.8 percent of white students graduated.

"We all know that many high schools in urban Ohio graduate only half their students," Prentiss said. "That's not a problem -- that's a crisis."

In addition, black males score consistently lower than both white and Hispanic males on the Ohio Graduation Test, which is required for graduation.

Prentiss has spent the past month meeting with mayors, superintendents, ministers and community leaders across Ohio to increase awareness of the issue and encourage collective efforts to increase the African American male graduation rate.

"Our message is one of shared responsibility and targeted action," Prentiss said. "We need students to become more serious, parents to intervene in their children's lives, and teachers and schools to have the professional knowledge and support to reach all students. We need businesses to do their part with jobs and internships, and the community in many cases to step in when these young men need guidance and direction."

The Governor's Conference on Increasing the High School Graduation Rate for African American Male Students will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 30 at the Columbus Convention Center. More than 1,500 Ohioans have already pre-registered for the event; on-site registration will be available from 8-9 a.m.

The conference will include breakout sessions, workshops, regional planning sessions and panel speakers. Governor Strickland will address the conference at noon.

Ohio Graduation Test:Tools to Use to Practice for the OGT

March 12th marks the beginning of Ohio sophomore students taking the Ohio Graduation Test and also having it mandatory that they pass all five sections by their senior year in order to receive their diploma. Students in Ohio that do not pass the Ohio Graduation Test will not graduate.

The United States has been behind the rest of the world in the way school districts were allowed to arrange the schools education, preferring to allow local school districts to choose their education and determine which critical areas must have the most focus. With the introduction of the No Child Left Behind and State and National Standards, the Ohio Graduation Test has become the decisive indication in shaping what has been taught and what student’s have learned in Ohio's high schools.


There are many ways for students to study and prepare for the Ohio Graduation Test. There are the traditional paper books, they however are not interactive, and students usually get bored easily with reading. There are also eBooks but again they consist of reading only. They do however offer the immediate gratification of receiving a product immediately through a download. Another drawback to eBooks is that they are often padded unnaturally by publishers to increase the page length of the ebook. This means a student must use extra ink and print out more paper than is actually needed.

Online practice tools however are very interactive, fun and available immediately to busy students. The most popular and best for Ohio students studying for the Ohio Graduation Test is IQ-ity’s online practice tool is the only one that has been actually reviewed by Ohio educators who consulted with the Ohio Department of Education on the creation of the actual Ohio Graduation Test.

The team at IQ-ity have created the only online practice test specifically designed for Ohio students by Ohio educators with years of experience in online education.

The IQ-ity Ohio Graduation Practice will help students in numerous ways to get prepared for the Ohio Graduation Test.