Parents and union urge Cincinnati school board to drop plan to print i‑Ready benchmarks on report cards
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Summary
Parents, Montessori educators and the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers urged the board to stop adding i‑Ready diagnostic labels to student report cards, arguing the single‑score format misleads families, harms students’ self‑esteem and should be shared in context or via a secure portal instead.
Hundreds of parents and teachers’ union representatives used Saturday’s Cincinnati School Board retreat to press the district to reverse a proposal to place i‑Ready benchmark labels directly on student report cards.
At the hearing of the public, multiple speakers said a one‑line i‑Ready designation will be misread as a definitive judgment of a child’s ability rather than a formative tool. “Report cards are sent home directly with students,” Bethany Weber said. “Imagine reading for the first time…that you’re doing great on your grades, but you read a line that says third grader reading at his first grade level…that single line narrative will essentially out any child with a learning difference.”
Montessori parent and staff member Clayton Adams told the board the decision was rushed and incompatible with Montessori principles: “A Montessori report card should reflect growth and independence…not primarily a percentage ranking from a computer program,” he said. Adams said standardized, computer‑adaptive assessments compress complex development into a single number.
Julie Sellers, president of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, presented a packet of research and argued the vendor test is not aligned with state standards and is influenced by situational factors. “Presenting this snapshot alongside course grades risks confusing families and overstating the meaning of the score,” she said. Sellers urged the board to reject embedding a one‑time benchmark on the permanent academic record and recommended linking to a secure portal where assessment results can be explained alongside teacher commentary.
Researchers and parents cited vendor materials and national norms to highlight interpretive risks: one public commenter noted published i‑Ready fall diagnostic norms showing 80–85% of kindergarteners nationally score below grade level, a statistic speakers said is often misunderstood when presented without context.
Board members asked administration to pause implementation and bring the question back to policy committee with options, including an opt‑out, additional parent training, or simply linking report cards to the district’s secure assessment portal. The board did not take a formal vote on the policy during the retreat. The administration said it would return to policy committee with more information and cost implications.
The discussion will continue at future policy meetings; parents and the union pressed the board to prioritize explanatory context and teacher‑family conferencing over placing a single standardized label on the report card.
