By Jennifer Mrozowski
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Charter school students' fourth-grade reading test scores were among the lowest in the state, according to an analysis of scores released last week.

Statewide, just 16 percent of the 2,422 charter school students taking the fourth-grade reading test in October scored proficient or above. That's below the passing rates for all of Ohio's large urban districts except Dayton, where just 13 percent scored proficient or higher.

Overall, 45 percent of Ohio fourth-graders passed the reading test.

All but one of the nine charter schools in Greater Cincinnati where students took the fourth-grade test had passing rates below 20 percent. Cincinnati Public Schools' passing rate was 21 percent. The students have two more chances this year to pass the test.

But state officials and charter school administrators say test scores aren't the only way to judge the success of charter schools.

"So often, the populations of community schools are students who have not had success in traditional school districts," said J.C. Benton, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Education.

He said studies have shown that charter school students enter the schools years behind in the skills of their counterparts at traditional schools.

"A fourth-grader in a community school potentially could be entering that community school with only up to second-grade proficiency," Mr. Benton said.

He acknowledged that the scores were troubling.

"At all proficiency test levels we want to see high achievement," Mr. Benton said.

The first 15 charter schools in Ohio opened in 1998 and the number has since grown to 127 schools. Charter schools are tuition-free, state-funded public schools that are operated by parent groups, community groups or for-profit management companies.

Charter legislation passed this month limits the number of charter schools that can operate in Ohio to 225 until July 2005, but some educators criticized the legislation, saying there's not enough oversight of the schools now in operation.

"There's no evidence to date that the charter schools are offering a better alternative (to traditional public schools), which is what their backers claim," said Tom Mooney, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. "That raises the question: Why are we draining millions of dollars from our public schools, making it more difficult for them to offer a quality education if it's not to get something better for kids?"

The CEO of a group of Ohio charter schools said the dismal scores don't reflect the progress many charter school students have made.

"Most of the kids when we test them are one or two or more levels behind in reading and math, or reading, or math," said Peter DiMezza, CEO of Summit Academy Schools.

The state's eight Summit schools are "at-risk" schools that serve students with disabilities, he said. At Summit Academy Community Schools for Alternative Learners in Middletown, none of the 13 students who took the fourth-grade reading test in October scored proficient or above.

"All of the kids that come to us are having difficulty in school," Mr. DiMezza said. "When you're dealing with our population, (Ohio proficiency tests) are not a valid description of what's going on."

He told the story of one child who had been placed behind a coat rack for three months at another school because he was fidgety.

"As a matter of fact, that child came to us as a fourth-grader who was reading on a 1.9 level (nearly second grade level) and by the end of the year with us he was reading on a 5.1 level (just above fifth grade)," he said.

Mr. Mooney said charter school test scores have been dismal for five years and have shown little improvement.

"It's fine to say that they get a disproportionate percentage of struggling students, but the taxpayers have a right to see progress," he said. "Otherwise, what's the point of taking a chance on these relatively unregulated, unmonitored charter schools?"

Mr. Benton said that as the schools gain more experience, "We certainly anticipate that student achievement will continue to rise."

E-mail jmrozowski@enquirer.com