Ohio’s ESSA Plan Cited for Strengths - National Council of Teachers of English

Reports

Ohio’s ESSA Plan Cited for Strengths


State: Ohio
Level: P12
Analyst: Robin Holland

Ohio’s ESSA Plan has been highlighted for strengths in Early Literacy and Teacher Evaluation by two independent evaluating groups. In both areas, the policies and strategies cited are measures that promote equity in achievement opportunities for Ohio’s most vulnerable students.

NCTE Emeritus member Dr. Elizabeth Primas (Program Manager, NNPA/ESSA Public Awareness Campaign) has highlighted Ohio’s early education strategies for making sure students do not fall behind.  She praised Ohio for its approach to early literacy success for its students:

Over the last four years, education leaders in Ohio have tripled their investments in the “K-3 Literacy component” and its corresponding preschool program. Ohio has also increased access to high-quality education programs for children living in poverty and low-income families. This investment is aligned with the state’s birth to third grade support system that is designed to ensure that students enter school with the skills necessary to be successful and reach third grade with skills needed to read proficiently.

The article cites not only Ohio’s K-3 Literacy component, but also Ohio’s Learning and Development Standards adopted by the Ohio Board of Education in October 2012. These standards address all domains of school readiness from birth to entry into Kindergarten.

Ohio’s ESSA Plan also demonstrated strengths when analyzed by The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ).  As the NCTQ considers plans, they are evaluating how the plans ensure:

… that low- income and minority students are not disproportionately taught by ineffective, out-of-field, or inexperienced teachers under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) [and] are designed to support states in ensuring that all students have access to excellent teachers.

For each state analysis, “notable” strengths are highlighted as well as areas where there are opportunities for improvement to best meet the requirements for ESSA’s educator equity.

Ohio’s analysis includes notable strengths in the following areas:

  • Ineffective Teacher Definition
  • Inexperienced Teacher Definition
  • Commitment to Student-Level Data
  • Inclusion of Additional Data
  • Promising Strategies

The only area cited as an opportunity for improvement was:

  • Timelines and Interim Targets

To read the details under each category for the Ohio NCTQ Analysis click here.

To compare other states click to access the 2017 State Teacher Policy Yearbook.