Third Grade Reading Guarantee

Third Grade Reading Guarantee Promotion Score

State law requires the State Board of Education to annually increase the promotion score on Ohio’s State Test for grade 3 English language arts until it reaches proficient for the 2024-2025 school year. Accordingly, the State Board voted to raise the promotion score for grade 3 English language arts to 685 for the 2022-2023 school year. Any student who scores 685 or higher on the English language arts scaled score will be eligible for promotion to fourth grade at the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

In addition, the Ohio Department of Education has set the reading subscore alternative assessment score for Ohio’s State Test for grade 3 English language arts test at 47 for the 2022-2023 school year. Any student who scores 47 or higher on the reading subscore will be eligible for promotion to fourth grade at the end of the 2022-2023 school year, even if the student scores below 685 on Ohio’s State Test for grade 3 English language arts.


Ohio's Third Grade Reading Guarantee is a program to identify students from kindergarten through grade 3 who are behind in reading. Schools will provide help and support to make sure students are on track for reading success by the end of third grade. The Department provides policy guidance, instructional tools and resources on the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. 


Third Grade Reading Guarantee at ODE

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