TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Toledo Public Schools held a meeting on Wednesday at Woodward High School for parents to discuss the new graduation standards.
The state of Ohio recently changed its graduation requirements, putting nearly 40% of the state's high school juniors at risk of not getting
their diploma.
"Current seniors across the state of Ohio are taking the Ohio Graduation Test and that is unchanged for this group," explained Jim Gault, executive transformational leader of curriculum and instruction for Toledo Public Schools. "But beginning next year students move to a point system around the Ohio State Test and they have to get the equivalent of 18 points in order to graduate."
The 2018 class, or current juniors will undergo new testing requirements in order to graduate. The Ohio State Test will be administered in the spring. The state said students will need to take seven tests.
The following tests will include: two English, two math, two social studies and a science test. Each test will be graded on a five-point-scale with students needing 18 points to graduate.
"It's going to be hard," said Davieyonna Larkett, a sophomore at Woodward High School. "I am going to have to work a lot and study a lot because it's a lot of pressure."
Students can bypass the test with a remediation-free score on the SAT or with an industry-approved credential, and a work-readiness score on WorkKeys.
"That's why I am here," explained Janet Wells, mother of a TPS junior. "So we can learn what's new and what's different and so he can graduate."
While the new standards put 40% of the state's junior students at risk, TPS says they are helping to inform parents of the changes and giving students options.
"We have a really neat opportunity with the Khan Academy and College Board where students can practice at home around the SAT to ensure that their results measure what they know," said Jim Gault. "Also, we have some support classes in our high school and we will be doing some summer intervention that we need parents and students to take advantage of."
These changes are happening across the state. School officials suggest parents and students from all districts in Ohio reach out to their school to find out what they need to do to meet the proper requirements to graduate on time.
TPS says they are doing all they can to assist students to get their diploma and making adjustments to their curriculum.
