Reading and Writing

O Commonly called the OGT, the Ohio
Graduation Test covers the academic content standards for the five core subject areas:
O Reading
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Math
Writing
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Science
Social Studies

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You will receive 2 ½ hours to complete each section of the OGT.
The test assesses you based on the standards for grades 8-10.
You must pass all five sections of the Ohio
Graduation Test to receive your diploma.**
**If you struggle to pass all five sections, it is possible to graduate by only passing four sections.
These criteria can be found on the Ohio Department of Education website.

About the OGT for Reading
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The OGT Reading Test covers a portion of the
English/Language Arts standards.
The test is composed of five reading passages.
O These may be:
O Narratives
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Plays
Biographies
Poetry
Essays
Advertisements
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Speeches
Other texts (traditionally nonfiction)

About the OGT for Reading
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The passages will vary in length.
O Two will be short passages of fewer than 500 words.
O Two will be medium passages of 500-900 words.
O One passage will be long (900-1,200 words).
There will be 31-32 multiple choice questions.
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There will be 5-8 questions per passage.
Each question will have four choices (A-D).

About the OGT for Reading
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There will be 4-6 short-answer questions.
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There will be 1-2 short-answer questions per passage.
These will ask you to write one or more sentences.
There will be 2-3 extended-response questions.
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There will be an extended-response question paired with two or three of the passages.
These will require you to write several sentences, or up to two paragraphs.

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Multiple choice questions are worth 1 point each, and will total 31 points.
Short-answer questions are worth 2 points each, and will total 8-12 points.
Extended-response questions are worth 4 points each, and will total 8-12 points.
The OGT Reading test will be worth 51+ points.

About the OGT for Writing
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The OGT Writing Test covers the remainder of the English/Language Arts standards.
You will be tested in three areas:
O Your ability to respond to writing topics, or prompts.
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Your knowledge of writing conventions.
Your ability to identify errors and correct them according to the conventions of writing
(revision).

About the OGT for Writing
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There will be two writing prompts on the
OGT:
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One prompt usually asks you to write a narrative (personal narrative essay).
The other prompt usually asks you to write an expository (informative) or persuasive essay.
You will be graded based on your ability to write and revise an essay – conventions are important.

About the OGT for Writing
O There are three different question types on the OGT Writing test.
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There are two extended-response questions.
There are ten multiple-choice questions.
O There is one short-answer question.

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Each essay is worth 18 points and is graded by two readers.
O Each reader grants up to 6 points for the content and up to 3 points for mechanics.
Each multiple-choice item is worth 1 point.
The short-answer question is worth 2 points.
The OGT Writing test will be worth 48 points.

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Your raw score on a section of the OGT is converted into a scale score.
The minimum required score to “pass” each section of the OGT is 400.
Cap scores on each section vary. Cap scores range from the 500s to the lower
600s.

O Your score on the OGT sections will place you into one of five performance levels:
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Advanced
Accelerated
O Proficient (minimum passing level)
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Basic
Limited

How the Constructed Responses are Scored

Short-Answer Questions
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2 Points
O The response provides a complete interpretation, explanation, or conclusion. It is logical and accurate.
1 Point
O The response provides a partial interpretation, explanation, or conclusion. It contains minor errors in reasoning or accuracy.
0 Points
O The response indicates no understanding of the concept or task.

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4 Points
O The response provides a complete interpretation, explanation, or conclusion (4 or more pieces of information). The response is logical and accurate. It is clearly focused and organized.
3 Points
O The response provides a nearly complete interpretation, explanation, or conclusion (3 pieces of information). It is logical and accurate.
It is clearly focused and organized.

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2 Points
O The response provides a partial interpretation, explanation, or conclusion (2 pieces of information).
The response is mostly logical and accurate.
1 Point
O The response provides an unclear, inaccurate interpretation, explanation, or conclusion (1 piece of information). The response is poorly focused and organized.
0 Points
O The response indicates no understanding of the concept or task.

O At this point, we’ll review a handout with the rubric used for grading the writing extendedresponse questions.