Rep. Robinson's bill to end state mandated student retention passes out of Ohio House

COLUMBUS — State Rep. Phil Robinson (D-Solon) and the House last week voted in favor of his bipartisan legislation House Bill (HB) 497, which would remove the state mandated student retention provisions of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee (TGRG). The bill also only requires students to take the third-grade English language arts assessment (ELA) once per year, but maintains the remediation provisions or support programs for struggling readers that are part of the TGRG.

“I have seen firsthand the challenges and unintended consequences of Statehouse policy changes in education, including retention from the Third Grade Reading Guarantee,” said Rep. Robinson. “Testing anxieties and fear of being held back an entire grade is having a negative impact on students, parents, and teachers. Regardless of students’ race, gender, and socioeconomic status, policies of retention and over-testing are never the answer to improving learning in any area of study.”

Most studies from over the last 30 years have found that holding students back creates little or no long-term academic benefits and can actually be harmful to students. Some of those harms could include:

·         Reduced chance of high school graduation; 

·         Higher risk of dropping out of school; 

·         Hurts learning and proficiency in other disciplines; 

·         Potential social and emotional harm to students. 

Rep. Robinson and his joint sponsor of HB 497, State Rep. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville), believe that, on an individual basis, retention may be the answer for some students when local educators and parents see the need, as is current law. It should not be based on a single standardized test, ignoring the child’s performance in other studies.

Since implementing the TGRG in the ’13-’14 school year, there have seen no meaningful or significant improvements to 4th grade reading proficiency levels. Ohio’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scores, prior to the pandemic, show a decline from 2017 to 2019, with Ohio’s reading score remaining virtually stagnant since 2002. Studies have confirmed this, such as a 2020 analysis by Ohio State University’s Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy.

“Let’s use the removal of retention mandates as a starting point for future bills that will improve early learning in our state. Ohio needs to fund and invest in proven ways to improve K-3 reading proficiency, such as universal pre-school and all-day kindergarten,” added Rep. Robinson. “The more I learn about this issue, the more I know Ohio needs to turn the corner and work on improving reading proficiency."

HB 497 now moves to the Senate for further consideration.