Members of a General Assembly education committee will be looking to simplify Ohio’s school report cards in the new year.
Over the past several months, both state and national education research groups who have reviewed Ohio’s school report cards said they contain a wealth of helpful information for parents, but having so many components can make it difficult for parents to put them to use.
The Data Quality Campaign said Ohio's school report cards are written at a college reading level, meaning it's often difficult for parents to understand the data. The Columbus-based Fordham Institute recommended reducing the number of letter grades contained in the reports from, in some cases, 14 down to just 5 or 6.
Andrew Brenner, chair of the House Education and Career Readiness Committee, says after reviewing the recommendations, simpler just might be better.
“I think for the most part a simpler report card so that the public understands what’s going on is needed, but you can keep the underlying data so that the school districts can utilize that data," Brenner says.
Brenner says legislation aimed at simplifying reports cards will likely be introduced in January.
