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K-12 education content standards in Ohio

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See also: K-12 education content standards in the states

This page features the following information about who sets K-12 education content standards in Ohio public schools:

  • The state entity with the authority to approve K-12 education content standards.
  • Whether Ohio requires or recommends that local schools or districts follow the K-12 education content standards.
  • The statutory or regulatory language in Ohio governing the development and application of K-12 education content standards.

Background

State education officials develop content standards in order to facilitate curriculum development for public schools. This section examines the role of content standards in public instruction and the different state approaches that either require or recommend their use in public schools.

What are content standards?

Content standards are educational learning and achievement goals that state education officials either require or recommend that local schools satisfy in K-12 instruction. Content standards are not curriculum but rather aim to guide the development of what state officials view as a robust K-12 curriculum.[1]

The development of K-12 education content standards in public schools varies across the 50 states. State boards of education, state education agency leaders, and local school districts, for example, may play a role in the development and approval of content standards.

Do states recommend or require schools to follow content standards?

State statutes or regulations may require or recommend the use of K-12 education content standards in public instruction.

Some states require local schools to align curriculum with content standards by establishing content standards as a minimum course of study. Such states may also require local schools or districts to adopt content standards as part of their curriculum, or they may require students to demonstrate mastery of content standards through state assessments.

Other states recommend that local schools or districts follow state content standards.

Who sets state K-12 education content standards in Ohio?

The following section provides information about the development and application of K-12 education content standards in Ohio as of 2022.

The table below identifies the state entity tasked with setting content standards, whether the content standards are recommendations or requirements for local schools, and the governing statute(s). The text of the governing statute(s) is provided below the table.

Ohio K-12 education content standards
Entity Recommendations or requirements? Statute or Regulation
State Board of Education Recommendations Ohio Revised Code § 3301.079


Ohio Revised Code § 3301.079:

“ Academic standards - model curriculum.


(A)(1) The state board of education periodically shall adopt statewide academic standards with emphasis on coherence, focus, and essential knowledge and that are more challenging and demanding when compared to international standards for each of grades kindergarten through twelve in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.

(a) The state board shall ensure that the standards do all of the following:
(i) Include the essential academic content and skills that students are expected to know and be able to do at each grade level that will allow each student to be prepared for postsecondary instruction and the workplace for success in the twenty-first century;
(ii) Include the development of skill sets that promote information, media, and technological literacy;
(iii) Include interdisciplinary, project-based, real-world learning opportunities;
(iv) Instill life-long learning by providing essential knowledge and skills based in the liberal arts tradition, as well as science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and career-technical education;
(v) Be clearly written, transparent, and understandable by parents, educators, and the general public.
(b) Not later than July 1, 2012, the state board shall incorporate into the social studies standards for grades four to twelve academic content regarding the original texts of the Declaration of Independence, the Northwest Ordinance, the Constitution of the United States and its amendments, with emphasis on the Bill of Rights, and the Ohio Constitution, and their original context. The state board shall revise the model curricula and achievement assessments adopted under divisions (B) and (C) of this section as necessary to reflect the additional American history and American government content. The state board shall make available a list of suggested grade-appropriate supplemental readings that place the documents prescribed by this division in their historical context, which teachers may use as a resource to assist students in reading the documents within that context.
(c) When the state board adopts or revises academic content standards in social studies, American history, American government, or science under division (A)(1) of this section, the state board shall develop such standards independently and not as part of a multistate consortium.
(2) After completing the standards required by division (A)(1) of this section, the state board shall adopt standards and model curricula for instruction in technology, financial literacy and entrepreneurship, fine arts, and foreign language for grades kindergarten through twelve. The standards shall meet the same requirements prescribed in division (A)(1)(a) of this section.
(3) The state board shall adopt the most recent standards developed by the national association for sport and physical education for physical education in grades kindergarten through twelve or shall adopt its own standards for physical education in those grades and revise and update them periodically.
The department of education shall employ a full-time physical education coordinator to provide guidance and technical assistance to districts, community schools, and STEM schools in implementing the physical education standards adopted under this division. The superintendent of public instruction shall determine that the person employed as coordinator is qualified for the position, as demonstrated by possessing an adequate combination of education, license, and experience.
(4) Not later than September 30, 2022, the state board shall update the standards and model curriculum for instruction in computer science in grades kindergarten through twelve, which shall include standards for introductory and advanced computer science courses in grades nine through twelve. When developing the standards and curriculum, the state board shall consider recommendations from computer science education stakeholder groups, including teachers and representatives from higher education, industry, computer science organizations in Ohio, and national computer science organizations.
Any district or school may utilize the computer science standards or model curriculum or any part thereof adopted pursuant to division (A)(4) of this section. However, no district or school shall be required to utilize all or any part of the standards or curriculum.
(5) When academic standards have been completed for any subject area required by this section, the state board shall inform all school districts, all community schools established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code, all STEM schools established under Chapter 3326. of the Revised Code, and all nonpublic schools required to administer the assessments prescribed by sections 3301.0710 and 3301.0712 of the Revised Code of the content of those standards. Additionally, upon completion of any academic standards under this section, the department shall post those standards on the department's web site.

(B)(1) The state board shall adopt a model curriculum for instruction in each subject area for which updated academic standards are required by division (A)(1) of this section and for each of grades kindergarten through twelve that is sufficient to meet the needs of students in every community. The model curriculum shall be aligned with the standards, to ensure that the academic content and skills specified for each grade level are taught to students, and shall demonstrate vertical articulation and emphasize coherence, focus, and rigor. When any model curriculum has been completed, the state board shall inform all school districts, community schools, and STEM schools of the content of that model curriculum.

(2) Not later than June 30, 2013, the state board, in consultation with any office housed in the governor's office that deals with workforce development, shall adopt model curricula for grades kindergarten through twelve that embed career connection learning strategies into regular classroom instruction.
(3) All school districts, community schools, and STEM schools may utilize the state standards and the model curriculum established by the state board, together with other relevant resources, examples, or models to ensure that students have the opportunity to attain the academic standards. Upon request, the department shall provide technical assistance to any district, community school, or STEM school in implementing the model curriculum.
Nothing in this section requires any school district to utilize all or any part of a model curriculum developed under this section.[2]
 ”

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Common Core State Standards Initiative, "What are educational standards?" accessed April 21, 2022
  2. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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