Ohio Department of Education and Workforce summarizes 2024–25 state report card: literacy, math, absenteeism, readiness

Doctor Chris Woollard, chief integration officer at the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, told the House Education Committee that the 2024–25 state report cards show mixed results across the state and outlined four priority themes: literacy, math, student wellness (chronic absenteeism) and workforce readiness. "Only about 60% of students statewide are proficient in English language arts, and only about 55% are proficient in math," Woollard said, summarizing statewide proficiency rates reported by the department.

Woollard said the department’s performance index—a metric that captures five performance levels—rose slightly in English language arts even as proficiency dipped, which the department reads as higher‑performing students continuing to improve. He also emphasized that chronic absenteeism remains a major concern: "About 1 in 4 Ohio students is chronically absent," he said, defining that group as students missing 10% or more of the school year and noting the known links between chronic absence and lower literacy and graduation rates.

The presentation described the new readiness component on the report card that rates districts and buildings on college, career, workforce and military readiness. "About 61% of students in the graduating class met at least one readiness indicator," Woollard said, and the department reported an increase in students earning industry‑recognized credentials from roughly 19.5% the prior year to 25.6% the year covered by the report card.

Melissa Weber Meyer, chief of literacy and academic success, answered members’ questions about the department’s efforts to support the science of reading implementation. She said the department has placed 95 state‑funded coaches in about 150 schools and is separately tracking 'Governor’s science of reading championship' buildings—those that have met training, curriculum and coaching milestones. "We are seeing more improvement in those schools where they are implementing the high quality instructional materials and the practices," Weber Meyer said, while cautioning that classroom‑level fidelity is harder to measure.

Committee members pressed for more granular comparisons—such as isolating schools that have adopted science‑of‑reading curricula—and Woollard repeatedly cautioned that it is early to draw long‑term causal conclusions because districts are at different stages of implementation. On workforce readiness, Woollard acknowledged questions raised by districts about how the readiness indicators relate to college enrollment and to remediation‑free ACT/SAT benchmarks. "That has been a theme of the feedback we’re hearing," he said, noting the legislature may consider refinements to how readiness is defined and reported.

Members highlighted local examples, including Ranking Member Sean Brennan’s mention of Parma City Schools’ jump from a 3.5 to a 4‑star district rating, which committee members attributed to community engagement and implementation of readiness pathways. Woollard and staff encouraged members to follow up for additional data and said department staff would continue to provide more detailed breakdowns, implementation support and guidance for districts.

No votes or formal committee actions were taken on the report card presentation during the meeting; the committee moved on to other business after questions concluded.