| This year the Ohio Graduation Test will have | | | | with a very real problem. How do they study |
| its first profound impact on graduating | | | | for and pass a test that determines their |
| seniors in Ohio's school districts. For the | | | | future success, and indeed if they see Miss |
| first time, high school students who do not | | | | Pritchet in English again next year or walk |
| pass the test will not be conferred a | | | | the quad at college thinking of a major. |
| diploma, ending the long standing, "you can | | | | |
| catch-up in college" mentality. | | | | There are paper study guides sold on Amazon, |
| | | | including one popular guide published by |
| To be sure, the remedial course designations | | | | Barron's. and several independent companies |
| at Ohio's colleges and universities will | | | | offer ebooks, where a student must download a |
| continue to meet the need of the roughly 65% | | | | PDF file and print out pages. |
| of high school students who choose to attend | | | | |
| post secondary education, but for those who | | | | MaxSkill offers OGT practice Software on CD |
| simply need the high school sheep skin, it | | | | available for Windows computers. |
| has just become much harder to receive. | | | | |
| | | | Paper Books are not interactive. While eBooks |
| The Ohio Achievement Test or Graduation Test | | | | offer the immediate gratification of |
| as it has become known, will have a marked | | | | receiving a product immediately through a |
| impact on the way Ohio teachers and students | | | | download, eBooks are often padded |
| structure the critical years before high | | | | artificially by publishers so as to increase |
| school commencement. For a numbers of years, | | | | the page length of the ebook. This means a |
| high school teachers have voiced concern that | | | | busy student must use extra inkjet ink or pay |
| they have had to alter their teaching style | | | | extra printout charges at Kinko's for pages |
| and eliminate numerous real life courses in | | | | that are unneeded. |
| favor of only those topics that may appear on | | | | |
| the Ohio Graduation Test or OGT. To be fair, | | | | Online practice tools are both interactive |
| OGT's new requirements have changed the face | | | | and available immediately to busy students. |
| of education in Ohio and many parents and | | | | There are two main online practice tools for |
| teachers would argue that it has for the | | | | the OGT. and StudyIsland. |
| better. | | | | |
| | | | Many education entities have tried, with |
| While the rest of the world has moved forward | | | | little success, to create a practice test |
| in establishing education standards, the | | | | that enables students at every level to work |
| United States has lagged behind, preferring | | | | throughout the school year and achieve their |
| to allow local school districts to | | | | potential when the actual test is attempted. |
| personalize their education and determine | | | | Unfortunately, few in this area have |
| which critical areas must have the most | | | | succeeded save two or three. |
| focus. With the advent of No Child Left | | | | |
| Behind and State and National Standards, the | | | | Among this group of highly specialized |
| Ohio Graduation Test has become the critical | | | | companies one shines above the rest. It is |
| harbinger in determining what has been taught | | | | the only entity that has been actually |
| and what has been learned in Ohio's high | | | | reviewed by those Ohio educators who |
| schools. | | | | consulted with the Ohio Department of |
| | | | Education on the creation of the actual OGT |
| Critics would put forward that these new | | | | test. |
| standards represent the homogenization of | | | | |
| education, while proponents argue that there | | | | The team at IQ-ity has created the only |
| finally is a consistent set of standards | | | | online practice test specifically designed |
| within which American children are required | | | | for Ohio students by Ohio educators with |
| to achieve. | | | | years of experience in online education. It |
| | | | is the only scientific and intelligence-based |
| How then is the most efficient way to study | | | | test for educational assessment, and it |
| for success? | | | | aligns with state benchmarks and grade level |
| | | | indicators. |
| This critical question is answered where 90% | | | | |
| of Americans now seek information, the | | | | Student's lives today revolve around the |
| Internet. And many entities have tried and | | | | internet. They enjoy socializing and working |
| failed to create a comprehensive online | | | | online. Colleges and Universities are |
| practice test solution. | | | | capitalizing on this trend by offering more |
| | | | courses online and the IQ-ity Ohio Graduation |
| While the debate is likely to continue for | | | | Practice Test is an extension of what awaits |
| years to come, the students of 2006 are faced | | | | Ohio's future scholars. |