Saturday, August 23, 1997
Highlights of new education law
- High school students will have to take more basic courses in English, math, science and social studies to graduate. One credit in either business or technology, fine arts or foreign language is added.
- Fourth-graders who fail a reading proficiency test will not advance unless the teacher and principal determine that they are prepared for fifth grade.
- The state's ninth-grade proficiency test for high school graduation will be phased out and replaced by an exam measuring what students should have learned by the end of the 10th grade.
- School districts will be judged by their dropout and attendance rates and proficiency test scores. Those that don't make the grade will face progressive forms of state intervention. It leaves what would be done with the worst districts to the Ohio Department of Education, pending approval from legislators.
- Schools could retain students in fourth and sixth grades who fail three or more sections of proficiency tests. Summer school must be offered to those students. Students also would be prevented from advancing if they fail two or more courses and have unexcused absences during more than 10 percent of the school year.
- Charter schools largely free of state regulation can be developed in the Big 8 urban school districts by any one of four entities: the local school board, any school board in the same county, a joint vocational school board and the Ohio Board of Education. Interested parties do not have to go to the Big 8 local school board first.
- School boards can adopt policies that allow students from any non-adjacent districts to attend their schools.
- High-performing schools would be exempt from many state mandates under rules recommended by the education department and approved by lawmakers.
- Rules would be developed to allow schools to contract with public or private programs for tutoring and other after-school assistance.
- The Big 8 urban districts must establish at least one alternative school for violent and disruptive students (Cincinnati Public Schools already has such a program). Other districts with substantial discipline problems would face the same requirement.
- Students who pass all five sections of the 12th-grade proficiency test would receive a $500 scholarship to attend any public or private university.
- Proficiency tests from the previous year would be made public.
- One percent of a school district's general fund would have to be set aside in a reserve fund in every year that revenues grow by at least 3 percent (until the reserve fund reaches 5 percent.)
- Each district also would have to annually set aside 4 percent of operating revenues for textbooks and another 4 percent for building maintenance.
- Eliminates loan fund that allows financially troubled districts to borrow against future revenues. Instead, those schools could get help from a new state fund.
- Allows state auditor to conduct performance audits in any school district on the fiscal watch list.
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