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As Introduced
136th
General Assembly
Regular
Session
S. B. No. 272
2025-2026
Senator Koehler
To
amend section 3301.0712 of the Revised Code
regarding
a civics assessment in lieu of the American government end-of-course
exam.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section
1.
That
section 3301.0712 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:
Sec.
3301.0712.
(A)
The department of education and workforce and the chancellor of
higher education shall develop a system of college and work ready
assessments as described in division (B) of this section to assess
whether each student upon graduating from high school is ready to
enter college or the workforce. Beginning with students who enter the
ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2014, the system
shall replace the Ohio graduation tests prescribed in division (B)(1)
of section 3301.0710 of the Revised Code as a measure of student
academic performance and one determinant of eligibility for a high
school diploma in the manner prescribed by rule adopted under
division (D) of this section.
(B)
The college and work ready assessment system shall consist of the
following:
(1)(a)
Except as provided in division (B)(1)(b) of this section, nationally
standardized assessments that measure college and career readiness
and are used for college admission. The assessments shall be selected
jointly by the department and the chancellor, and one of which shall
be selected by each school district or school to administer to its
students. The assessments prescribed under division (B)(1) of this
section shall be administered to all eleventh-grade students in the
spring of the school year.
(b)
Beginning with students who enter the ninth grade for the first time
on or after July 1, 2022, the parent or guardian of a student may
elect not to have a nationally standardized assessment administered
to that student. In that event, the student's school district or
school shall not administer the nationally standardized assessment to
that student.
(2)(a)
Except as provided in division (B)(2)(b) of this section, seven
end-of-course examinations, one in each of the areas of English
language arts I, English language arts II, science, Algebra I,
geometry, American history, and American government. The
end-of-course examinations shall be selected jointly by the
department and the chancellor in consultation with faculty in the
appropriate subject areas at institutions of higher education of the
university system of Ohio. Advanced placement examinations and
international baccalaureate examinations, as prescribed under section
3313.6013 of the Revised Code, in the areas of science, American
history, and American government may be used as end-of-course
examinations in accordance with division (B)(4)(a)(i) of this
section. Final course grades for courses taken under any other
advanced standing program, as prescribed under section 3313.6013 of
the Revised Code, in the areas of science, American history, and
American government may be used in lieu of end-of-course examinations
in accordance with division (B)(4)(a)(ii) of this section.
(b)
Beginning with students who enter ninth grade for the first time on
or after July 1, 2019, five end-of-course examinations, one in each
areas of English language arts II, science, Algebra I, American
history, and American government. However, only the end-of-course
examinations in English language arts II and Algebra I shall be
required for graduation.
A
student may choose to take the civics assessment described in
division (B)(4)(a)(iii) of this section instead of the American
government end-of-course examination.
The
department shall, as necessary to implement division (B)(2)(b) of
this section, seek a waiver from the United States secretary of
education for testing requirements prescribed under federal law to
allow for the use and implementation of Algebra I as the primary
assessment of high school mathematics. If the department does not
receive a waiver under this division, the end-of-course examinations
for students described in division (B)(2)(b) of this section also
shall include an end-of-course examination in the area of geometry.
However, the geometry end-of-course examination shall not be required
for graduation.
(3)
The end-of-course examinations in American history and American
government shall require demonstration of mastery of the American
history and American government content for social studies standards
adopted under division (A)(1)(b) of section 3301.079 of the Revised
Code and the topics required under division (M) of section 3313.603
of the Revised Code.
At
least twenty per cent of the end-of-course examination in American
government shall address the topics on American history and American
government described in division (M) of section 3313.603 of the
Revised Code.
(4)(a)
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this section,
both
of
for
divisions (B)(4)(a)(i) and (ii) of this section, and beginning with
the 2026-2027 school year for division (B)(4)(a)(iii) of this
section,
the following shall apply:
(i)
If a student is enrolled in an appropriate advanced placement or
international baccalaureate course, that student shall take the
advanced placement or international baccalaureate examination in lieu
of the science, American history, or American government
end-of-course examinations prescribed under division (B)(2) of this
section. The department shall specify the score levels for each
advanced placement examination and international baccalaureate
examination for purposes of calculating the minimum cumulative
performance score that demonstrates the level of academic achievement
necessary to earn a high school diploma.
(ii)
If a student is enrolled in an appropriate course under any other
advanced standing program, as described in section 3313.6013 of the
Revised Code, that student shall not be required to take the science,
American history, or American government end-of-course examination,
whichever is applicable, prescribed under division (B)(2) of this
section. Instead, that student's final course grade shall be used in
lieu of the applicable end-of-course examination prescribed under
that section. The department, in consultation with the chancellor,
shall adopt guidelines for purposes of calculating the corresponding
final course grades that demonstrate the level of academic
achievement necessary to earn a high school diploma.
Division
(B)(4)(a)(ii) of this section shall apply only to courses for which
students receive transcripted credit, as defined in section 3365.01
of the Revised Code. It shall not apply to remedial or developmental
courses.
(iii)
If a student chooses to take the civics assessment instead of the
American government end-of-course assessment, the civics assessment
administered to that student shall be identical to the civics portion
of the naturalization test used by the United States citizenship and
immigration services agency.
Each
school district board of education shall determine the method and
manner in which to administer the assessment prescribed under
division (B)(4)(a)(iii) of this section.
A
student's successful completion of the assessment prescribed under
division (B)(4)(a)(iii) of this section shall be demonstrated by
answering correctly at least sixty per cent of the questions included
on the assessment. A student who does not attain a passing score may
retake the assessment until the student obtains a passing score.
(b)
No student shall take a substitute examination or examination
prescribed under division (B)(4)(a) of this section in place of the
end-of-course examinations in English language arts I, English
language arts II, Algebra I, or geometry prescribed under division
(B)(2) of this section.
(c)
The department shall consider additional assessments that may be used
as substitute examinations in lieu of the end-of-course examinations
prescribed under division (B)(2) of this section.
(5)
The department shall do all of the following:
(a)
Determine and designate at least five ranges of scores on each of the
end-of-course examinations prescribed under division (B)(2) of this
section, and substitute examinations prescribed under division (B)(4)
of this section. Not later than sixty days after the designation of
ranges of scores, the director of education and workforce shall
conduct a public presentation before the standing committees of the
house of representatives and the senate that consider primary and
secondary education legislation regarding the designated range of
scores. Each range of scores shall be considered to demonstrate a
level of achievement so that any student attaining a score within
such range has achieved one of the following:
(i)
An advanced level of skill;
(ii)
An accomplished level of skill;
(iii)
A proficient level of skill;
(iv)
A basic level of skill;
(v)
A limited level of skill.
(b)
Determine a method by which to calculate a cumulative performance
score based on the results of a student's end-of-course examinations
or substitute examinations;
(c)
Determine the minimum cumulative performance score that demonstrates
the level of academic achievement necessary to earn a high school
diploma under division (A)(2) of section 3313.618 of the Revised
Code. However, no new minimum cumulative performance score shall be
determined after October 17, 2019.
(d)
Develop a table of corresponding score equivalents for the
end-of-course examinations and substitute examinations in order to
calculate student performance consistently across the different
examinations.
A
score of two on an advanced placement examination or a score of two
or three on an international baccalaureate examination shall be
considered equivalent to a proficient level of skill as specified
under division (B)(5)(a)(iii) of this section.
(6)(a)
A student who meets both of the following conditions shall not be
required to take an end-of-course examination:
(i)
The student received high school credit prior to July 1, 2015, for a
course for which the end-of-course examination is prescribed.
(ii)
The examination was not available for administration prior to July 1,
2015.
Receipt
of credit for the course described in division (B)(6)(a)(i) of this
section shall satisfy the requirement to take the end-of-course
examination. A student exempted under division (B)(6)(a) of this
section may take the applicable end-of-course examination at a later
date.
(b)
For purposes of determining whether a student who is exempt from
taking an end-of-course examination under division (B)(6)(a) of this
section has attained the cumulative score prescribed by division
(B)(5)(c) of this section, such student shall select either of the
following:
(i)
The student is considered to have attained a proficient score on the
end-of-course examination from which the student is exempt;
(ii)
The student's final course grade shall be used in lieu of a score on
the end-of-course examination from which the student is exempt.
The
department, in consultation with the chancellor, shall adopt
guidelines for purposes of calculating the corresponding final course
grades and the minimum cumulative performance score that demonstrates
the level of academic achievement necessary to earn a high school
diploma.
(7)(a)
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this section, the
department may replace the algebra I end-of-course examination
prescribed under division (B)(2) of this section with an algebra II
end-of-course examination, beginning with the 2016-2017 school year
for students who enter ninth grade on or after July 1, 2016.
(b)
If the department replaces the algebra I end-of-course examination
with an algebra II end-of-course examination as authorized under
division (B)(7)(a) of this section, both of the following shall
apply:
(i)
A student who is enrolled in an advanced placement or international
baccalaureate course in algebra II shall take the advanced placement
or international baccalaureate examination in lieu of the algebra II
end-of-course examination.
(ii)
A student who is enrolled in an algebra II course under any other
advanced standing program, as described in section 3313.6013 of the
Revised Code, shall not be required to take the algebra II
end-of-course examination. Instead, that student's final course grade
shall be used in lieu of the examination.
(c)
If a school district or school utilizes an integrated approach to
mathematics instruction, the district or school may do either or both
of the following:
(i)
Administer an integrated mathematics I end-of-course examination in
lieu of the prescribed algebra I end-of-course examination;
(ii)
Administer an integrated mathematics II end-of-course examination in
lieu of the prescribed geometry end-of-course examination.
(8)(a)
For students entering the ninth grade for the first time on or after
July 1, 2014, but prior to July 1, 2015, the assessment in the area
of science shall be physical science or biology. For students
entering the ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2015,
the assessment in the area of science shall be biology.
(b)
Until July 1, 2019, the department shall make available the
end-of-course examination in physical science for students who
entered the ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2014,
but prior to July 1, 2015, and who wish to retake the examination.
(c)
The department shall adopt rules prescribing the requirements for the
end-of-course examination in science for students who entered the
ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2014, but prior to
July 1, 2015, and who have not met the requirement prescribed by
section 3313.618 of the Revised Code by July 1, 2019, due to a
student's failure to satisfy division (A)(2) of section 3313.618 of
the Revised Code.
(9)
The department shall not develop or administer an end-of-course
examination in the area of world history.
(10)
The department, in consultation with the chancellor and the
governor's office of workforce transformation, shall determine a
competency score for both of the Algebra I and English language arts
II end-of-course examinations for the purpose of graduation
eligibility.
(C)
The department shall convene a group of national experts, state
experts, and local practitioners to provide advice, guidance, and
recommendations for the alignment of standards and model curricula to
the assessments and in the design of the end-of-course examinations
prescribed by this section.
(D)
Upon completion of the development of the assessment system, the
department shall adopt rules prescribing all of the following:
(1)
A timeline and plan for implementation of the assessment system,
including a phased implementation if the department determines such a
phase-in is warranted;
(2)
The date after which a person shall meet the requirements of the
entire assessment system as a prerequisite for a diploma of adult
education under section 3313.611 of the Revised Code;
(3)
Whether and the extent to which a person may be excused from an
American history end-of-course examination and an American government
end-of-course examination under division (H) of section 3313.61 and
division (B)(3) of section 3313.612 of the Revised Code;
(4)
The date after which a person who has fulfilled the curriculum
requirement for a diploma but has not passed one or more of the
required assessments at the time the person fulfilled the curriculum
requirement shall meet the requirements of the entire assessment
system as a prerequisite for a high school diploma under division (B)
of section 3313.614 of the Revised Code;
(5)
The extent to which the assessment system applies to students
enrolled in a dropout prevention and recovery program for purposes of
division (F) of section 3313.603 or a dropout prevention and recovery
community school under section 3314.36 of the Revised Code.
(E)(1)
Any person enrolled in a nonchartered nonpublic school or any person
who is exempt from attendance at school for the purpose of home
education under section 3321.042 of the Revised Code may choose to
participate in the system of assessments administered under divisions
(B)(1) and (2) of this section. However, no such person shall be
required to participate in the system of assessments.
(2)
The department shall adopt rules for the administration and scoring
of any assessments under division (E)(1) of this section.
(F)
The department shall select at least one nationally recognized job
skills assessment. Each school district shall administer that
assessment to those students who opt to take it. The department shall
reimburse a school district for the costs of administering that
assessment. The department shall establish the minimum score a
student must attain on the job skills assessment in order to
demonstrate a student's workforce readiness and employability. The
administration of the job skills assessment to a student under this
division shall not exempt a school district from administering the
assessments prescribed in division (B) of this section to that
student.
Section
2.
That
existing section 3301.0712 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.