State officials denounce report cards as 'harmful' to kids, schools, communities

COLUMBUS

A state lawmaker and a member of the state school board are urging parents to ignore new school report cards released Thursday by the Ohio Department of Education.

Rep. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, and Democratic board member A.J. Wagner say issues with assessment tests — namely the now-discontinued Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, tests, used last year — should have prompted a different approach to assessing schools and districts.

“My colleague and I are here to denounce the Ohio school report cards ...,” Wagner said during a news conference at the Statehouse. “These report cards are not just inaccurate, they are harmful to our children, our schools and our communities.”

Kim Norris, a spokeswoman for the state education department, defended the release report cards, however.

“... Families should know how their students are performing,” she said in a statement. “Student participation in testing was good with approximately 99 percent taking the state tests. ODE is required to report on accountability measures. The Legislature enacted ‘safe harbor,’ which provides an opportunity to use report information to reset expectations on how to improve student achievement.”

Thursday marked the release of the second set of report cards compiled by the state. The results “show how our schools are doing and where they can improve,” Lonny Rivera, interim state superintendent, said in a statement.

Read more about the reaction in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.