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Graphs, Data, and Related Commentary from the Final Analysis of District OPT Performance

      This is the table of contents to the final findings from the research study of Ohio school district performance on the OPT and OSRC. This site is the data, graph, links, and comment page for Hoover's research study of Ohio school district proficiency test and school report card performance accountability. These data and findings have been released to the public as of February 27, 2000. The entire study is available online for your use. If you wish to be included in the emailing list of updates about OPT and OSRC issues, click on the logo at the top of this page and send me your request.
      The graphs and data presented here are from the final replication of the study. This final analysis represents the culmination of several hundred hours of work put forth to gain empirical insights into OPT performance across all Ohio school districts. At the time the study was completed there were 611 school districts in the State of Ohio. This study uses data from 593 districts out of the 611 total. 18 districts were not included in the study because of incomplete data or because the districts were too small such as North Bass Island. All data were taken from EMIS online data and no data other than the data presented by the State of Ohio were used. My confidence level is high that there are very few errors in the data array. Though errors are certainly possible, I am confident that if they exist they are minor and do not significantly affect the overall conclusions of this study. (RLH)

1. Introduction to the OPT Study and the Findings: FAQ

2. Understanding Accountability    (A Short Essay by Hoover)

3. The Primary Finding: The Presage Factor as a Predictor of OPT District Test Performance

4. The Presage Factor as a Predictor of OPT District Test Performance using Z-scores.

5. ADC as a Predictor of District OPT Performance

6. State Economic Disadvangement Data as a Predictor of District OPT Performance

7. Subsidized Lunch Program as a Predictor of District OPT Performance

8. Mean Family Income as a Predictor of District OPT Performance

9. Actual District Performance Controlling for Presage Effects

10. Actual District Performance Controlling for Presage Effects with Selected Districts Identified

11. Listing of Highest Performing Ohio Districts Based Upon this Study

12. Graphs of selected EMIS variables across Presage Score, Percent Passing 1997, and Actual Performance controlling for the Presage Factor

          11.1       Class Size
          11.2       % Teachers with Non Degrees
          11.3       % Teachers with Bachelor's Degrees
          11.4       % Teachers with Master's Degrees
          11.5       Average Teacher Salary
          11.5       Average Teacher Experience
          11.6       % Federal Revenue
          11.7       % State Revenue
          11.8       % Local Revenue
          11.9       Per Pupil Expenditure
          11.10    Extra Academic Opportunity
          11.11    Dropout Rate
          11.12    % African-American and % White as Variables
          11.13    10-Year Mean Income Increase by Social-Economic Level
          11.14    Drop Out Rate and Extra Academic Opportunity
    

13. The Parable of the Railroads    (A Short Story of Accountabilty by Hoover)

14. Public School Teachers    (OP-ED by F. Troy)

15. So You Want Me to be a Good Teacher...    (Teacher Advocacy by Hoover)

16. 4th Grade Test Too Difficult   This originally appeared in the Toledo Blade on Sunday, November 21, 1999. It was written by Tom Troy, the Blade's education editor.

17. Charter School Update and Comment   (News report from OCTELA)

18. IMPORTANT NEWS!! OEA Resolution Asking for Moratorium on Proficiency Testing!!

19. Cleveland Plain Dealer article on the growing disstisfaction with OPT.Outstanding article by Scott Stephens, PD Journalist. (It also quotes Maggie Hagan and Randy Hoover.)

20. OEA Press Release! By the President of OEA.

21. Youngstown Vindicator's Anti-Teacher Editorial of 1-14-2000.

          21.1    A Paragraph-by-Paragraph Response to the Vindicator Editorial.
          21.2    Mary Carter's Letter to the Vindicator. An extremely well written and articulate letter by Youngstown City, East Middle School Teacher, Mary Carter. This is well worth reading.
          21.3    George P. Lesnansky Jr's Letter to the Vindicator. A very well written letter especially in reminding the editorial writer about the "proficiency tests" for Ohio teachers.

22. The Entire Collection of the Akron-Beacon Journal's Expose' of the Conspiracy to Destroy Ohio's Public Schools. These are a MUST READ for all of you. really believe this series is Pulitzer Prize material. The series exposes the stark reality of how Ohio's public school policies have been shaped by self-interests of small, but powerful cadre of very wealthy right-wing extremists working with direct connection to the Governor's office. The series exposes a very real conspiracy and shows how the citizens of Ohio have been mislead into believing that the public school reform legislation in Ohio has been in the best interests of people of our state.
          22.1    The Akron-Beacon's list of all the major special interest groups shaping public school policy especially in Ohio. Some of these groups will make your skin crawl.

23. An outstanding article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer by Mark Vosburgh and Scott Stephens exposing how the writing portion of OPT is scored by temporary employees of a North Carolina company. The article certainly lends powerful evidence to question both the reliability and the validity of the written portion OPT.

24. The Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial against OSRC . The editorial uses the Study and quotes Hoover. This is a very powerful editorial position.