OGT News: Even teachers get the "jitters" over the OGT
An excellent article in Thursday's Cleveland Plain Dealer outlined the difficulties faced by teachers in Cleveland's poor neighborhood schools as they face Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) week.
Janett Korb, a teacher at East Tech High School, has knots in her stomach, just as her students do this week as they take the five-part OGT.
Korb was one of the many Cleveland teachers who did home visits in recent weeks, encouraging 10th grade students and their parents to focus their efforts on passing the test. Beginning this year, all Ohio high school seniors must pass all parts of the test in order to receive a diploma.
Korb realizes the height of the hurdle her students face and she sympathizes with them. She dropped out of high school herself, later earned a GED, then went on to get both a bachelor's and master's degree.
Although she is white, she feels the OGT is slanted to the advantage of upper-class white school districts and discriminates against her mostly poor, African-American students.
She has been running tutoring sessions to prepare her students, but with very little turn out.
Although she taught for a while in a upper-class, affluent school, she prefers to teach at East Tech, feeling students there really need her support and direction.
Preparation tools abound for the OGT. Among the leading prep tests are those by IQ-ity and Study Island. Now through September, IQ-ity is offering its preparation test at no charge to school districts. This free trial covers the strategic summer school period when many high school students who have failed all or part of the OGT are taking remedial work in order to pass.
Janett Korb, a teacher at East Tech High School, has knots in her stomach, just as her students do this week as they take the five-part OGT.
Korb was one of the many Cleveland teachers who did home visits in recent weeks, encouraging 10th grade students and their parents to focus their efforts on passing the test. Beginning this year, all Ohio high school seniors must pass all parts of the test in order to receive a diploma.
Korb realizes the height of the hurdle her students face and she sympathizes with them. She dropped out of high school herself, later earned a GED, then went on to get both a bachelor's and master's degree.
Although she is white, she feels the OGT is slanted to the advantage of upper-class white school districts and discriminates against her mostly poor, African-American students.
She has been running tutoring sessions to prepare her students, but with very little turn out.
Although she taught for a while in a upper-class, affluent school, she prefers to teach at East Tech, feeling students there really need her support and direction.
Preparation tools abound for the OGT. Among the leading prep tests are those by IQ-ity and Study Island. Now through September, IQ-ity is offering its preparation test at no charge to school districts. This free trial covers the strategic summer school period when many high school students who have failed all or part of the OGT are taking remedial work in order to pass.
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