The Ohio Department of Education aims to increase student achievement by improving language and literacy outcomes for all students. SST 7 supports districts and schools to implement data and evidence based systems and practices (structured literacy) so that all students secure and sustain language and literacy proficiency.

Legislative Updates

Budget Bill Changes to the Third-Grade Reading Guarantee

House Bill 33 of the 135^th General Assembly included several legislative changes to the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Information about the most significant changes to the Third Grade Reading Guarantee is available below. 

Promotion of 2022-2023 School Year Third-Grade Students

Under House Bill 33 of the 135^th General Assembly, any district, community school, STEM school or chartered nonpublic school that would have retained students who did not meet the promotion score on Ohio’s State Test for grade 3 ELA during the 2022-2023 school year must promote those students to fourth grade unless a student’s parent or guardian requests otherwise.

Students promoted to fourth grade must continue to receive at least 90 minutes of reading instruction that includes intensive intervention until the student is able to read at grade level.

2023-2024 Third Grade Reading Guarantee Promotion Score

State law requires the State Board of Education to annually increase the promotion score on Ohio’s State Test for grade 3 English language arts until it reaches proficient for the 2024-2025 school year. Accordingly, the State Board voted to raise the promotion score for grade 3 English language arts to 690 for the 2023-2024 school year. Any student who scores 690 or higher on the English language arts scaled score will be eligible for promotion to fourth grade at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.  

In addition, the Ohio Department of Education has set the reading subscore alternative assessment score for Ohio’s State Test for the grade 3 English language arts test at 48 for the 2023-2024 school year. Any student who scores 48 or higher on the reading subscore will be eligible for promotion to fourth grade at the end of the 2023-2024 school year, even if the student scores below 690 on Ohio’s State Test for grade 3 English language arts.

Changes Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year

Parent Request Exemption

Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, a student’s parent or guardian, in consultation with the student’s reading teacher and principal, may request that a student be promoted to fourth grade regardless of student’s score on Ohio’s State Test for grade 3 English Language Arts. Students promoted to fourth grade through this exemption must continue to receive intensive reading instruction until the student is able to read at grade level.  

Parent Notification Requirements

Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, districts must include the following information in the written communication to parents of students in grades K-3 who are not reading on grade level according to the reading diagnostic:

• A statement that connects the child’s proficiency level in reading to long-term outcomes of success related to proficiency in reading.

RIMP Requirements

The following are additional requirements for RIMPs beginning in the 2023-2024 school year:

• High-dosage tutoring opportunities aligned with the student’s classroom instruction through either a state-approved vendor or a locally approved vendor that aligns with high-dosage tutoring best practices. High-dosage tutoring must include additional instruction time either:
• Three days per week, or
• At least 50 hours over 36 weeks.
• Intervention services must be aligned to the science of reading.
• Districts and schools must continue to provide the RIMP until the student is reading proficiently at their current grade level.

Please send questions to ThirdGradeGuarantee@education.ohio.gov.