OK Third-Grade Reading Test Results Show 85 Percent Pass To Next Grade

Friday, May 15th 2015, 3:39 pm

By: News On 6

OK Third-Grade Reading Test Results Show 85 Percent Pass To Next Grade

Preliminary results from this school year's third-grade core curriculum reading tests indicate that at least 85 percent of students will be promoted, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

Out of more than 50,000 students who took the test, 67 percent scored "proficient" while 14.6 percent scored "unsatisfactory." Other results are that 15.9 scored "limited knowledge" with 2.5 percent scoring "advanced."

Only the students who scored unsatisfactory and fail to meet an exemption are subject to retention and "intensive remediation in reading," a news release states.

That means the reading ability of Oklahoma's third graders improved slightly this year, but there are still more than 7,000 students who can't read.

5/5/2015 Related Story: Testing Error Affects Thousands Of Oklahoma Students

Those students have other opportunities to demonstrate mastery in reading including evaluations with one of seven good-cause exemptions, demonstrating proficiency on a screening instruments and a chance to meet with a probational reading team that determines whether they be retained or promoted.

Over the next few weeks, school districts are required to contact parents and legal custodians of students who scored “Unsatisfactory” and determine the most effective course of action for these children.

About two-thirds of those who scored unsatisfactory are not native English speakers or are in some kind of special education program.