Ohio Administrators’ ESSA-Aligned Guide to Planning for the New School Year
Ohio Administrators’ ESSA-Aligned Guide to Planning for the New School Year
School may be out for the summer, but district and school administrators are hard at work planning for the upcoming school year. To support you in this process (and save you a little time to enjoy the sunshine!), we've assembled a curated list of our best resources aligned to goals outlined in the Ohio ESSA plan.
Goal: Boost Ohio Standards Mastery and State Test Achievement
Building on a strong foundation of high standards and tailored supports for districts, Ohio’s Learning Standards are focused on helping students achieve success beyond mere proficiency. Ohio end-of-course (EOC) exams, including Advanced Placement®, SAT®, and ACT® exams, ensure that students master the skills they need to be successful beyond the classroom. Utilize the following guides to take a fresh approach to your instructional programs or refine your current practices.
Frequent, standards-based formative assessments are a critical piece of effective data-driven instruction. Our formative assessment workbook provides a framework for implementing formative assessments throughout the lesson cycle, identifying student skill gaps early, and determining effective interventions. Its planning forms and data-tracking worksheets can be used across multiple subjects and grade levels. You can also learn more about how one Ohio 5th grade teacher is using Edmentum’s formative assessment program, Study Island, to drive success for her students.
A strong foundation in literacy is key to future academic success in any subject, and Ohio has supported literacy achievement since 2012 with its Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Now, Ohio’s Early Literacy Plan will expand that initiative with renewed focus on ensuring that all students, including those with disabilities, are reading proficiently by grade 3 and are better prepared for success beyond the classroom. This workbook evaluates the many facets of structuring an effective, research-based reading and language arts block and helps you select the appropriate technology tools to support your approach.
Bring the best parts of online learning and traditional instruction together in a blended learning program. Blended learning programs come in many forms and enable scalable personalized learning. Use this workbook to get your district’s or school's blended learning program started.
Goal: Address Achievement Gaps and Support English Learners and Special Education Students
With a long-term goal of at least 80% of students scoring Proficient or higher on each state test, Ohio demonstrates its commitment to educating all students. The following resources provide strategies for meeting the needs of special student populations.
Special Populations Program Planning Worksheet
Use this worksheet to plan programs that address the needs of special populations of students.
Personalized Learning Workbook
Personalized learning allows educators to meet the varying needs of all learners, improving learning outcomes. This workbook takes the guesswork out of personalized learning by providing a step-by-step plan from development to implementation.
This collection of blog posts addresses topics like back-to-school strategies to support ELLs, ways to prepare ELLs for high-stakes assessments, and more.
Special Education Blog Collection
This collection of blog posts addresses topics like dyslexia, ways to navigate IEP meetings, ADHD, and trends in special education.
Goal: Support Graduation Rates
Ohio has raised the bar for graduation expectations by setting a long-term goal of 93% of students graduating in four years. Additionally, 95% of all students are expected to graduate within five years. Make sure that your school has a credit recovery program in place so that all students who fall behind can catch up and graduate on time.
Our credit recovery worksheet will show you how to set up a new program or enhance your current credit recovery offering.
Resources for Ohio Educators to Support Effective Credit Recovery Programs
Implementing effective and flexible credit recovery initiatives only becomes more critical when goals to improve graduation rates become more rigorous. To help you get started, we’ve rounded up the information you need to know about credit recovery in Ohio.
Goal: Ensure College and Career Readiness
Ohio is showing dedication to college and career readiness with the Prepared for Success component to be included its state report card under ESSA. Multiple measures, including Advanced Placement® course offerings and dual enrollment programs, will be considered to allow schools to develop innovative approaches to ensure that students are prepared for future opportunities. The following resources will help you open the door to several options in support of this initiative.
CTE programs have been shown to increase engagement and improve outcomes for enrolled students. Use our CTE workbook to plan a new program or utilize it as a guide to augment your current one.
Online Curriculum for Intervention, Acceleration, and Differentiation
Online curriculum can open up a world of college- and career-focused courses to students that their schools may not otherwise be able to offer, including Advanced Placement®, CTE, SAT®, ACT®, and WorkKeys® assessment preparation. Our online curriculum guide discusses several different ways that online curriculum can be used, and it even includes a worksheet to guide the process of identifying a provider that meets your needs.
A virtual implementation may help your school or district offer more flexible and expansive course options to serve populations in need. Use this workbook to evaluate if a virtual implementation is the best option for your school and get guidance on developing a program and selecting a digital provider.
Goal: Reduce Chronic Absenteeism
The impact of students being chronically absent is staggering. As a result, Ohio is using this metric as part of the Achievement component on its state report card. Check out the following resources for more helpful information and suggestions for improvement.
How Chronic Absenteeism Affects Student Achievement
This blog post looks at the impacts of chronic absence and includes information on initiatives that aim to move the needle on this growing problem.
The Consequences of Suspension and What Schools Can Do Instead
When it comes to chronic absenteeism, suspension is a big offender in hiking up that rate. As you consider how to keep students in the classroom, taking a hard look at suspension policies is an important step.
5 Alternatives to In-School Suspension
We know that suspension practices are often negatively affecting absenteeism metrics. When research confirms that time in the classroom equates to success, you may want to reconsider your current practices.
Looking for online programs to help your school or district improve outcomes for all students? Check out Edmentum's suite of K–12 evidence-based assessments and digital curriculum, and see why over 8,000 districts in the nation partner with us.
This blog post was originally published on June 20, 2018.
