3 days ago
At least half of Hilliard students exempt from some final exams under state test policy
HILLIARD, Ohio (WCMH) — Hilliard City Schools students who score well on their state tests do not have to take final exams, a district spokesperson confirmed.
District announcements show the program began as an incentive for students to do well on Ohio's state tests. Any student who got a proficient score, or 700 and higher, in Algebra I, Biology, English II, Geometry, U.S. History and U.S. Government could choose to be exempted from that course's end-of-year exam. According to state records, this policy would exempt more than half of the students from these exams.
Ohio has five levels of performance for its state exams: limited, basic, proficient, accelerated and advanced. Ohio Department of Education Press Secretary Lacey Snoke said students must score competently enough on state tests — a 684 or higher — to graduate.
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'Ohio's State Tests provide valuable insights into how well our students are growing in the knowledge and skills outlined in Ohio's Learning Standards,' Snoke said. 'They also help guide and strengthen future teaching, ensuring that we are preparing our students for long-term success in school, careers and life.'
Snoke said districts have control over their daily operations, including things like final exams, so Hilliard is able to offer incentives like this one.
According to state data, the policy would exempt more than half of Hilliard's students from these exams. Hilliard students had their worst scores in Geometry, with 53.8% of students earning a proficient score. In the 2023-2024 school year, as many as 80% of students could have skipped their final exams thanks to the incentive.
Hilliard scores better on these tests than most districts, but it lags behind similar districts in its scoring. The state identifies similar school districts for easy comparison, and Hilliard is grouped in with other suburban schools with low student poverty rates and large student bodies. The state considers Worthington, Gahanna-Jefferson, Pickerington, Dublin and Westerville similar districts.
A Hilliard spokesperson said the incentive was common practice among central Ohio schools. At Columbus City Schools, district policy exempts most students with an 'A' in a course from the final, and many districts — including Hilliard — exempt students from end-of-year exams if they take a relevant AP test.
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However, none of the five central Ohio districts that the state qualifies as 'similar' to Hilliard appear to offer the same exemption. Gahanna allows individual instructors to choose if they will have an exam and don't have an adjusted schedule. Westerville requires exams at the end of each semester, exempting only seniors in good standing with an 80% or higher in the class.
Dublin City Schools requires teachers to administer exams at the end of the semester, and all students are required to take them unless they have a specific approved exemption.
'Examinations of this type are excellent tools for determining the degree of knowledge obtained from a course,' Dublin schools said. 'They also provide excellent preparation for the type of examinations encountered in higher education.'
Hilliard students who scored proficient or higher on the state test but had a near-failing grade in the class were 'highly encouraged' to take their exams as a chance to improve their grades, but not required. Any student who wanted to take their final exam was allowed to.
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