By Andrew Welsh-Huggins
The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - Close to three of four Ohio third-graders passed the state's new reading test, according to results due out Tuesday that have pleased educators in general and big-city school officials in particular.

Preliminary figures released in May from the March third-grade achievement test found 75 percent of children passing the test. That's considerably higher than the record 68 percent of fourth-graders who passed the proficiency test in 2002, a test being slowly phased out.

The official numbers being released Tuesday are "pretty close" to the May figure, J.C. Benton, a Department of Education spokesman, said Friday. He would not give details.

No big-city district reached the state minimum standard of a 75 percent passage rate. But several posted results much higher than ever reported for the fourth-grade test, according to a review of the districts' results.

In Cleveland, the state's largest district, 58 percent of third-graders passed, according to results released by the district. In Akron, 69 percent passed, while 66 percent of third-graders passed in Toledo.

Even Toledo's 53 percent passage rate for the fourth-grade reading test was a record, said Craig Cotner, the district's chief academic officer.

About 116,000 students took the test. The 29,000 students who didn't pass will receive extra help in the coming school year, as required by law.

Lawmakers approved proficiency tests for Ohio schoolchildren beginning in 1987.

Test results

Results of the third-grade reading achievement test and fourth-grade reading proficiency test for children at Ohio's eight big-city districts:

(Minimum state standard: 75 percent)

Akron:

Third-grade: 69 percent.

Fourth-grade: 60 percent.

Canton:

Third-grade: 69 percent.

Fourth-grade: 60 percent.

Cincinnati:

Third-grade: 65 percent.

Fourth-grade: 49 percent.

Cleveland:

Third-grade: 58 percent.

Fourth-grade: 54 percent.

Columbus:

Third-grade: 57 percent.

Fourth-grade: 51 percent.

Dayton:

Third-grade: 50 percent.

Fourth-grade: 36 percent.

Toledo:

Third-grade: 66 percent.

Fourth-grade: 53 percent.

Youngstown:

Third-grade: 51 percent.

Fourth-grade: 52 percent.