MAHONING VALLEY Pupils brave reading exam

An estimated 10 percent of about 130,000 fourth-graders won't pass the test.
By RON COLE
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
Thousands of Mahoning Valley fourth-graders hunker down this week to take a high stakes reading exam that could determine if they advance to the fifth grade.
"All in all, I think the children are very calm," Principal Jerome Gentile of Bonham Elementary School in Niles said about fourth-graders at his school, who took the test Monday.
"The children can read, so it's just a matter of staying with the task."
The Ohio Fourth-Grade Guarantee, the General Assembly's attempt to boost reading proficiency among elementary pupils, goes into effect this year.
The state's approximately 130,000 fourth-graders will get three chances this school year, starting this week, to pass a one-day state reading proficiency test.
Pupils failing to meet the basic level of achievement on the exams could be held back in the fourth grade next year.
"We've worked very hard to improve reading, and we've worked very hard to make sure the kids have every opportunity to be successful on these tests," said Richard Buchenic, Lowellville schools superintendent.
Past results: Based on last year's test scores, the state estimates that about 10 percent of fourth-graders won't pass the test, said Jan Crandell, director of the Ohio Department of Education's Assessment Center.
In the past, the fourth-grade reading test was administered once a year in March. But, with the new requirement, fourth-graders will get three chances: October, March and again in July.
In addition, school districts can choose to give the tests to third-graders in the spring, allowing some children to pass the exam before they even enter fourth grade.
The state will continue administering fourth-grade proficiency tests in writing, math, citizenship and science in March, in addition to the reading test.
Spread out: In the past, the March tests were given all in one week, one test per day. This year, the five exams will be spread out over two weeks.
"Five tests in five days seemed to be a daunting task for many students," Crandell said.
Gentile said he thinks spreading the tests out will help.
"By Friday of that test week, the kids looked like somebody had beat them up," he said. "I think giving the tests every other day will help and it should ease some of the pressure the kids feel."