3rd Grade Reading Guarantee
The 3rd grade guarantee is an example of a state mandate currently being enforced in Ohio. This mandate states that if a student does not pass the OAA with a score of 392, then the child must be retained in the 3rd grade. They must receive 90 minutes of daily reading, which can occur through small group work, tutoring, or even reading camp (Ohio Department of Education, 2012).
In addition, when these students are retained they must be placed with a teacher who has a reading endorsement or who has passed a reading test. Yet, while the student is retained for 3rd grade reading, if they are proficient in the other subject areas (math, science, and social studies, then they can receive appropriate instruction on grade level- 4th grade (Ohio Department of Education, 2012). Thus, this would end up with students who could be in 3rd and 4th grade in the same year. How would this look in a school? Would their be a class that has students who are all in this position? Or would students be split between 2 classes, where they would go to a third grade teacher for reading and a 4th grade teacher for the other academic subjects areas. How would this work? Would those two teachers have to coordinate their schedules?
Below is a list of pros and cons for this state mandate:
Pros
Cons
In addition, when these students are retained they must be placed with a teacher who has a reading endorsement or who has passed a reading test. Yet, while the student is retained for 3rd grade reading, if they are proficient in the other subject areas (math, science, and social studies, then they can receive appropriate instruction on grade level- 4th grade (Ohio Department of Education, 2012). Thus, this would end up with students who could be in 3rd and 4th grade in the same year. How would this look in a school? Would their be a class that has students who are all in this position? Or would students be split between 2 classes, where they would go to a third grade teacher for reading and a 4th grade teacher for the other academic subjects areas. How would this work? Would those two teachers have to coordinate their schedules?
Below is a list of pros and cons for this state mandate:
Pros
- Focus teachers on providing effective reading instruction
- Provide student with the extra support they need
- Provide them with the skills to read to learn
- More students will learn how to read
- More reading time for students
- Provide early intervention by targeting at-risk students in grades K-3
Cons
- Not enough staff to help every struggling reader
- More students will be in 3rd grade classes- larger class sizes
- Students who don’t pass the readins OAA, could be in 4th grade for math—scheduling issues
- Lack of funding (teacher training, resources)
- Ohio passed a reading guarantee back in the 1990s, it did not work.
This is a video clip that I found on YouTube that explains the 3rd grade reading guarantee. It is informative and it showcases the pros and cons by community members.
***(The word "engineering" is spelled wrong in the video.)
***(The word "engineering" is spelled wrong in the video.)
Ohio Department of Education (2012). “The third grade reading guarantee guidance document. Retrieved from: http://www.ode.state.oh.us/gd/templates/pages/ode/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=5&ContentID=129423