Fitch lunch includes a helping of hints for OGT

By Elise Franco

Mandatory tutoring for the Ohio Graduation Test gives juniors and seniors the confidence and skills needed to pass.

AUSTINTOWN — Teachers at Fitch High School are lending their brains during their free time to maximize learning for students.

Teachers decided something had to be done after the cancellation of a class based on teaching juniors and seniors how to prepare for the social studies portion of the Ohio Graduation Test.

Brian Fedyski, department chairman, said none of the social studies teachers wanted kids to lose the experience that comes from taking the class.

He said a new plan was set into motion after long hours together and several meetings.

“We knew we had to do something for these kids because we couldn’t just leave them on their own,” Fedyski said. “We decided we needed to incorporate a program during school time.”

He said the department decided on tutoring sessions to help juniors and seniors who haven’t yet passed the OGT in social studies.

Fedyski said the program, in its second year, requires those students who didn’t pass the test as sophomores to attend the prep course during their lunch periods.

“I think the initial reaction from students was, ‘I gotta give up my lunch? Why are you making me do this?’” he said. “But it’s mandatory because these students need this.”

Freshman and sophomore history teacher Joe Brooks said the passing rate for sophomores is between 85 and 90 percent, but that still left about 60 students in need of help last year.

“I went through the OGT failure list and found every junior and senior who hadn’t passed,” Fedyski said. “Then I typed a letter and mailed it to every parent of those students letting them know we’d be having an intervention program, and their child was expected to be a part of it.”

He said every student on that list then attended a meeting where the tutoring program, as well as expectations for students, was explained.

Fedyski said he lifted questions from previous versions of the OGT and created practice packets for each student to make learning the material as easy as possible. He said each question was broken down into topics, and at the end of each series of questions was a list of helpful hints to go along with that topic.

“We went through every old test for the last four years and literally cut and pasted and put the questions into topics,” he said.

Fedyski said the helpful hints are meant to show students a simpler way to remember information without having to memorize details about names and dates.

“We used common-sense terms,” he said. “If they can understand the questions that way, usually they can rule out one, two — maybe even three — wrong answers.”

Brooks said the tutoring has already bumped up scores for students taking the OGT for a second or third time. He said about 55 percent of those who attended the sessions in the first year passed the test on their next try.

“We found out that 100 percent of kids who came 70 percent of the time or more either passed or improved on their next try,” he said. “Of the kids who never came, not one passed, so we thought, ‘At least we’re on to something here.’”

Brooks said on average, about 20 kids out of about 30 show up per day for lunchtime tutoring.

“A lot of the kids passed, so we don’t have as many this year,” he said. “Some that don’t come every day are also doing tutoring for other classes. Others just don’t ever show.”

Gov. Ted Strickland wants to phase out the OGT over the next 10 years, and phase in a modified ACT, one of two national college entrance exams, which costs less per test. He has said it’s not rigorous enough.

For now, Mahala Wallace, 18, said he’s confident he’ll pass the OGT in March, thanks to the skills he’s learned from Brooks’ tutoring.

“It really gets you prepared,” he said.

Wallace, a senior, said he’s already taken the test twice. He said he’s improved each time, however, and missed a passing score of 400 by only one point last time.

“I’m fully confident. Plus, I have to pass it to graduate,” he said. “This time, I have no choice.”

Tammy Wortman, 17, has also taken the test several times, but the senior said she’ll be ready for success when March rolls around.

“Last time I was five points away, and I hadn’t come to tutoring,” she said. “I did come this time, and I definitely feel more confident.”

Brooks said he’s started handing out the tutoring packets to his sophomore classes to complete as practice before their first attempt at the test, as the program has proved successful for juniors and seniors.

Fedyski said the program was a departmentwide project, but he attributes much of its success to Brooks, who volunteers his own lunch period to teach the tutoring session.

“Mr. Brooks should probably get more credit than anyone,” Fedyski said. “He’s the one who’s doing the teaching.”

efranco@vindy.com