Ohio State Tests' Link to College Attendance and Completion
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| Title: | Ohio State Tests' Link to College Attendance and Completion |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Stéphane Lavertu, Thomas B. Fordham Institute |
| Source: | Thomas B. Fordham Institute. 2026. |
| Availability: | Thomas B. Fordham Institute. 1701 K Street NW Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20006. Tel: 202-223-5452; Fax: 202-223-9226; e-mail: thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org; Web site: https://fordhaminstitute.org/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 19 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education Elementary Education Grade 8 Junior High Schools Middle Schools Secondary Education High Schools |
| Descriptors: | Standardized Tests, College Students, Attendance, Graduation, Prior Learning, Grade 8, Tests, High School Seniors, Exit Examinations, Scores, Correlation, Educational Attainment, Prediction, Postsecondary Education, Language Arts, Mathematics Tests, Language Tests, Graduation Rate |
| Geographic Terms: | Ohio |
| Abstract: | Policymakers across the political spectrum have long championed the use of statewide tests to monitor whether Ohio students are on track for future success. The educators and subject experts who developed Ohio's learning standards, to which state tests align, assert that these standards capture the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in college and careers. Annual tests also provide state leaders with information about the effectiveness of Ohio schools and the return on investment for taxpayers. Extensive evidence indicates that students with higher scores on standardized math and English tests do, on average, have better life outcomes, including higher rates of college attendance and graduation. But we don't know the extent to which scores on Ohio's state tests predict such longer-term student outcomes. This report answers that question by examining how scores on Ohio's eighth-grade tests and high school end-of-course exams in math and English correspond to student attendance and graduation from four-year colleges and universities. It also examines whether test-score growth since third grade (the earliest grade of statewide testing) is associated with these postsecondary outcomes. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED681241 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Policymakers across the political spectrum have long championed the use of statewide tests to monitor whether Ohio students are on track for future success. The educators and subject experts who developed Ohio's learning standards, to which state tests align, assert that these standards capture the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in college and careers. Annual tests also provide state leaders with information about the effectiveness of Ohio schools and the return on investment for taxpayers. Extensive evidence indicates that students with higher scores on standardized math and English tests do, on average, have better life outcomes, including higher rates of college attendance and graduation. But we don't know the extent to which scores on Ohio's state tests predict such longer-term student outcomes. This report answers that question by examining how scores on Ohio's eighth-grade tests and high school end-of-course exams in math and English correspond to student attendance and graduation from four-year colleges and universities. It also examines whether test-score growth since third grade (the earliest grade of statewide testing) is associated with these postsecondary outcomes. |
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