July 1, 2008 – Request to Amend Accountability Plan – Ohio – NCLB Policy Letters to States

July 1, 2008

The Honorable Susan T. Zelman
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Ohio Department of Education
25 South Front Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215-4163

Dear Superintendent Zelman:

I am writing in response to Ohio’s request to amend its State accountability plan under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Ohio submitted an amended state accountability plan to the Department on June 10, 2008. I am pleased to fully approve Ohio’s amended plan, which we will post on the Department’s website. A summary of the amendments submitted for the 2007-08 school year is enclosed with this letter. As you know, any further requests to amend Ohio’s accountability plan must be submitted to the Department for review and approval as required by section 1111(f)(2) of Title I of the ESEA.

Please also be aware that approval of Ohio’s accountability plan for Title I, including the amendments approved herein, does not indicate that the plan complies with Federal civil rights requirements, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

I am confident that Ohio will continue to advance its efforts to hold schools and school districts accountable for the achievement of all students. If you need any additional assistance to implement the standards, assessment, and accountability provisions of NCLB, please do not hesitate to contact Jessica Morffi (Jessica.Morffi@ed.gov) or Clayton Hollingshead (Clayton.Hollingshead@ed.gov) of my staff.

Sincerely,

Kerri L. Briggs, Ph.D.

Enclosure

cc: Governor Ted Strickland
Paolo DeMaria
Jeanine Molock

Amendments to Ohio’s Accountability Plan

The following is a summary of the state’s amendment requests. Please refer to the Department’s website (www.ed.govhttps://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/index.html) for Ohio’s complete accountability plan.

Acceptable amendments

The following amendments are aligned with the statute and regulations:

General workbook clarifications (Elements 1.3, 1.5, 2.1. 2.3, 3.1, 5.1, 7.1, and 9.2)

Revision: Ohio clarified language and updated links throughout its workbook.

Assessments (Elements 1.4, 2.2, 3.2c, 10.1, and 10.2)

Revision: In accordance with state statute, Ohio specified that tests may be administered in either March or May. The high school assessments are administered in March and assessments in grades 3 through 8 are administered in May.

Inclusion of the growth model calculation (Elements 1.1, 1.2, 3.2, 5.2, 6.1, 8.1, and 9.1)

Revision: Ohio will implement its growth model as conditionally approved by the Department in May 2007. For further information, please see: www.ed.govhttps://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/growthmodel/oh/index.html.

Annual Measurable Objectives (Element 3.2c)

Revision: Ohio clarifies its annual measurable objectives by grade level for both reading/language arts and mathematics.

Grade spans in accountability system (Element 4.1)

Revision: Ohio updated its grade-span configuration to reflect the incorporation of statewide testing in grades 3 through 8 and grade 10. The grade spans will be grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.

Minimum group size (Element 5.5)

Revision: Ohio will use a uniform minimum group size of 30 students for all student groups when calculating adequate yearly progress.


Decision Letters on State Accountability Plans