OHIO GRADUATION TESTS

> What is the OGT?

The OGT is the standardized test the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) now uses to determine whether each student may graduate from high school. The OGT has 5 sections:

Reading
Mathematics
Writing
Citizenship
Science

Students do not have to pass all five subjects at the same time. Once a student passes a particular exam, he/she is done with that one forever! Click here for the ODE's OGT webpage.

How did Canfield do last year on the mathematics section? Click here for a county-wide breakdown from the ODE.

> When is the OGT administered?

All students will take the OGT during March of their sophomore year. However, the test is administered three times each academic year, with testing times in July and November for students who need multiple attempts to pass all 5 sections. The schedule for the 2007 - 2008 school year can be found here.

> What is the OGT math exam like?

The sites mentioned above provide previous exams, so start there. Basically, the exams consist of several multiple-choice questions (32) and a handful of free-response questions (5 short answer and 1 extended response). Students will only receive full credit on free-response questions if they provide a clear and concise explanation of how they arrived at their answer. Mathematical reasoning and conceptual understanding are very important in both the National Council Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards and the Ohio Academic Content Standards; hence, this skill is tested on the OGT and emphasized in our classrooms.

> How can I prepare for the OGT math section?

Ideally, you should get enough from your math classes here at CHS to successfully complete the exam. Talk to your teacher (or anyone in the department) if you have additional concerns. A list of helpful sources is provided below.

> PREVIOUS OGT EXAMS

The Ohio Department of Education releases previous OGT math exams for public download. It might be a good idea to take some time and practice one of them.

> CATEGORIZED OGT QUESTIONS

The Alexander School District has broken previous exam questions into the five categories for mathematics. It makes for an efficient way to review material.

> BARRON'S GUIDE FOR OGT MATH

A teacher at Austintown Fitch High School (Mr. Tom Reardon) wrote a book to help students prepare for the OGT in mathematics. The book is published through Barron's, and you can find information on it at the above link.You can buy the book from Amazon.com here or it is available at Barnes and Noble.

> PRINCETON'S REVIEW FOR OGT MATH

This text is a quick-hits review for the OGT Math. I recommend this text if you are under a time crunch to review for the test. It is available at Barnes and Noble as well.