Frequently Asked
Questions about Ohio Graduation Tests
Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT) are a key part of Ohio’s
education reform to establish an aligned system of standards, assessments and
accountability for Ohio schools. The testing requirements were established by
the Ohio General Assembly in 2001 based on recommendations by the Governor's
Commission for Student Success. Tests in reading, writing, mathematics, science
and social studies make up the OGT.
What are the purposes
of the Ohio Graduation Tests?
The purposes of the OGT are to:
- Ensure that students who receive a high school diploma
demonstrate at least high school levels of achievement;
- Measure the level of reading, writing, mathematics, science
and social studies skills expected of students at the end of the 10th grade;
- Meet federal requirement for high school testing.
What time of year do students take the OGT?
Students take the OGT for the first time in the spring of
their sophomore year. Students can continue to take the tests in the fall and spring
of their junior and senior years and during the summer.
What happens if
students don’t pass the tests the first time?
Students who do not pass one or more tests on their first
attempt will retake the tests they need to pass during their junior and senior
years. Ohio Graduation Tests are administered each fall and spring, with an
optional summer administration available within some school districts.
Who develops the OGT
tests?
Ohio teachers and other educators, parents, representatives
of the business community and other citizens are involved with Ohio Department
of Education staff and its testing contractor in developing items for the OGT.
The law requiring Ohio Graduation Tests clearly states that parents, classroom
teachers, other school personnel and administrators must be involved in
developing the tests.
How do we know OGT
tests are fair?
A Content Advisory Committee, made up of parents, educators
and others, reviews all test questions. Another committee, the Fairness
Sensitivity Review Committee, has been trained to review questions to ensure
that the questions are not biased in any way. This group, also comprised of
parents, educators and others, ensures that test questions are fair and do not
promote or inquire as to an individual’s moral or social values or beliefs.
Committee members represent a broad base of diverse backgrounds, organizations
and school districts. Each of the committees review items prior to field
testing and again after field testing where data on the item performance are
available. Items must be accepted by both committees prior to the item
appearing on any test for which a student is held accountable.
How many questions
are on the OGT tests?
OGT tests have approximately 35 multiple-choice questions
and up to eight constructed (written) response items.
How long will
students have to take the tests?
Students have up to two and one-half hours to take each of
the tests.
Are the Ohio
Graduation Tests strictly multiple-choice questions?
The OGT includes items other than multiple-choice questions.
Students have to write responses to some questions.
Are there other ways
for students to receive a diploma if they don’t pass the OGT?
Students may graduate and receive a diploma without passing
all five tests of the OGT if they meet the following requirements:
- Pass four of the five tests and have missed passing the
fifth test by no more than 10 scale score points;
- Have had a 97 percent attendance rate each of the last four
years and must not have had an expulsion in the last four years;
- Have a grade point average of 2.5 out of 4.0 in the subject
area missed and have completed the curriculum requirement in the subject area
missed;
- Have participated in any intervention programs offered by
the school and must have had a 97 percent attendance rate in any program
offered outside the normal school day or year, including those offered by
someone other than the school;
- Obtain letters of recommendation from each teacher in the
subject area not yet passed and the high school principal.
For more detailed information, please see Alternative
Pathway for Eligibility for a Diploma, by entering the keywords Alternative
Pathway in the Search box above.
Do exceptional
children and English-limited students have to pass the OGT?
Students whose Individual Education Plan (IEP) excuses them
from the consequence of having to pass the OGT may be awarded a diploma.
However, federal law (Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2002) requires
every student to take the OGT or an alternate assessment. English-limited
students, (those students whose primary language is not English) also must
achieve the specified scores on the OGT in order to be awarded a diploma.
What happens to
students who need a different type of test because of their Individual
Education Plan (IEP)?
Students who have an IEP that requires a different test can
take an alternate assessment of the OGT.
Do charter school
students and those in other schools have to take the OGT?
Chartered nonpublic school students and students in Schools
for the Blind and the Deaf must pass the OGT or satisfy the alternative
conditions set by the state to receive a high school diploma.
What happens to
students who have met all of the curriculum requirements for graduation but do
not pass the OGT before their intended date of graduation?
Students who have met all of the curriculum requirements for
graduation but have not passed all required parts of the OGT before their
intended date of graduation will not graduate with their classmates. School
districts decide locally whether or not students may participate in graduation
ceremonies.
Students may continue to take the OGT until they pass all
required parts, which would then allow them to earn their diplomas. The first
opportunity to take the test after their senior year would be in July during
the summer administration of the OGT. Students should contact a school district
well in advance of the test dates to learn of the requirements to sit for the
test. Students who are eligible may test during any of the testing
opportunities throughout the school year – March, July and October. Click here
for test dates.