Tuesday, April 13, 1999
Seniors score well on Ohio test
More than 40,000 qualify for new state scholarship
BY MIRIAM SMITH
The Cincinnati Enquirer
More than 40,000 of Ohio's high school seniors expect the state to show them the money — now that they've passed all five areas of the Ohio 12th Grade Proficiency Exam.
State educators are offering a new $500 college scholarship as incentive for passing the test which, unlike Ohio's Ninth Grade Proficiency Test, is not required for graduation.
Some local educators believe dollar signs may have made a difference to seniors.
The 12th-grade test scores released Monday show Ohio's seniors did as well or better in all areas — except citizenship — than in any class since the test began in 1994.
And the news was good locally.
Cincinnati Public Schools' seniors snagged the highest scores among Ohio's eight biggest urban districts, with 37 percent passing all sections.
Some suburban districts — including Indian Hill, Mariemont, Madeira and Springboro — scored rates in the 70s and 60s.
Forty-one percent of the record 99,515 who took the test received proficient scores in writing, reading, mathematics, citizenship and science.
The $500 scholarships were intended to get students to take the test seriously and encourage higher education. The test is given in February when many college-bound seniors already have been accepted by colleges and passage is not required for graduation.
“The concern was, here you have a senior, (who would say), "Oh, big deal. This test does not mean anything,'” said Paul Marshall, legislative liaison with the Ohio Department of Education.
With nothing “hinging on the test, it gives you little incentive for doing well,” he said.
Under the new scholarship program, seniors who pass all sections of the exam and graduate from a chartered Ohio high school can use the $500 scholarship voucher to meet any educational expense in an Ohio post-secondary school.
The Ohio Board of Regents will administer the program.
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