Ohio Governor John Kasich has signed a bill designed to protect students from the academic impacts of new proficiency tests. The measure prohibits the state from using the results of tests being rolled out this year from determining a student's advancement to the next grade, except where it relates to the state's third-grade reading guarantee. It also bars using results of new state mathematics and English assessments to make course credit decisions. And under the measure, schools could not share individual test scores with outside sources without parental consent. The legislation had strong bipartisan support in the Ohio House and Senate. The bill's backers said it would create a safe harbor for students and schools as the test process is fine-tuned.
