(A) The department of education and workforce and the chancellor of higher education shall develop a system of college and work ready assessments as described in division (B) of this section to assess whether each student upon graduating from high school is ready to enter college or the workforce. Beginning with students who enter the ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2014, the system shall replace the Ohio graduation tests prescribed in division (B)(1) of section 3301.0710 of the Revised Code as a measure of student academic performance and one determinant of eligibility for a high school diploma in the manner prescribed by rule adopted under division (D) of this section.

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(B) The college and work ready assessment system shall consist of the following:

(1)(a) Except as provided in division (B)(1)(b) of this section, nationally standardized assessments that measure college and career readiness and are used for college admission. The assessments shall be selected jointly by the department and the chancellor, and one of which shall be selected by each school district or school to administer to its students. The assessments prescribed under division (B)(1) of this section shall be administered to all eleventh-grade students in the spring of the school year.

(b) Beginning with students who enter the ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2022, the parent or guardian of a student may elect not to have a nationally standardized assessment administered to that student. In that event, the student’s school district or school shall not administer the nationally standardized assessment to that student.

(2)(a) Except as provided in division (B)(2)(b) of this section, seven end-of-course examinations, one in each of the areas of English language arts I, English language arts II, science, Algebra I, geometry, American history, and American government. The end-of-course examinations shall be selected jointly by the department and the chancellor in consultation with faculty in the appropriate subject areas at institutions of higher education of the university system of Ohio. Advanced placement examinations and international baccalaureate examinations, as prescribed under section 3313.6013 of the Revised Code, in the areas of science, American history, and American government may be used as end-of-course examinations in accordance with division (B)(4)(a)(i) of this section. Final course grades for courses taken under any other advanced standing program, as prescribed under section 3313.6013 of the Revised Code, in the areas of science, American history, and American government may be used in lieu of end-of-course examinations in accordance with division (B)(4)(a)(ii) of this section.

(b) Beginning with students who enter ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2019, five end-of-course examinations, one in each areas of English language arts II, science, Algebra I, American history, and American government. However, only the end-of-course examinations in English language arts II and Algebra I shall be required for graduation.

The department shall, as necessary to implement division (B)(2)(b) of this section, seek a waiver from the United States secretary of education for testing requirements prescribed under federal law to allow for the use and implementation of Algebra I as the primary assessment of high school mathematics. If the department does not receive a waiver under this division, the end-of-course examinations for students described in division (B)(2)(b) of this section also shall include an end-of-course examination in the area of geometry. However, the geometry end-of-course examination shall not be required for graduation.

(3) The end-of-course examinations in American history and American government shall require demonstration of mastery of the American history and American government content for social studies standards adopted under division (A)(1)(b) of section 3301.079 of the Revised Code and the topics required under division (M) of section 3313.603 of the Revised Code.

At least twenty per cent of the end-of-course examination in American government shall address the topics on American history and American government described in division (M) of section 3313.603 of the Revised Code.

(4)(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this section, both of the following shall apply:

(i) If a student is enrolled in an appropriate advanced placement or international baccalaureate course, that student shall take the advanced placement or international baccalaureate examination in lieu of the science, American history, or American government end-of-course examinations prescribed under division (B)(2) of this section. The department shall specify the score levels for each advanced placement examination and international baccalaureate examination for purposes of calculating the minimum cumulative performance score that demonstrates the level of academic achievement necessary to earn a high school diploma.

(ii) If a student is enrolled in an appropriate course under any other advanced standing program, as described in section 3313.6013 of the Revised Code, that student shall not be required to take the science, American history, or American government end-of-course examination, whichever is applicable, prescribed under division (B)(2) of this section. Instead, that student’s final course grade shall be used in lieu of the applicable end-of-course examination prescribed under that section. The department, in consultation with the chancellor, shall adopt guidelines for purposes of calculating the corresponding final course grades that demonstrate the level of academic achievement necessary to earn a high school diploma.

Division (B)(4)(a)(ii) of this section shall apply only to courses for which students receive transcripted credit, as defined in section 3365.01 of the Revised Code. It shall not apply to remedial or developmental courses.

(b) No student shall take a substitute examination or examination prescribed under division (B)(4)(a) of this section in place of the end-of-course examinations in English language arts I, English language arts II, Algebra I, or geometry prescribed under division (B)(2) of this section.

(c) The department shall consider additional assessments that may be used as substitute examinations in lieu of the end-of-course examinations prescribed under division (B)(2) of this section.

(5) The department shall do all of the following:

(a) Determine and designate at least five ranges of scores on each of the end-of-course examinations prescribed under division (B)(2) of this section, and substitute examinations prescribed under division (B)(4) of this section. Not later than sixty days after the designation of ranges of scores, the director of education and workforce shall conduct a public presentation before the standing committees of the house of representatives and the senate that consider primary and secondary education legislation regarding the designated range of scores. Each range of scores shall be considered to demonstrate a level of achievement so that any student attaining a score within such range has achieved one of the following:

(i) An advanced level of skill;

(ii) An accomplished level of skill;

(iii) A proficient level of skill;

(iv) A basic level of skill;

(v) A limited level of skill.

(b) Determine a method by which to calculate a cumulative performance score based on the results of a student’s end-of-course examinations or substitute examinations;

(c) Determine the minimum cumulative performance score that demonstrates the level of academic achievement necessary to earn a high school diploma under division (A)(2) of section 3313.618 of the Revised Code. However, no new minimum cumulative performance score shall be determined after October 17, 2019.

(d) Develop a table of corresponding score equivalents for the end-of-course examinations and substitute examinations in order to calculate student performance consistently across the different examinations.

A score of two on an advanced placement examination or a score of two or three on an international baccalaureate examination shall be considered equivalent to a proficient level of skill as specified under division (B)(5)(a)(iii) of this section.

(6)(a) A student who meets both of the following conditions shall not be required to take an end-of-course examination:

(i) The student received high school credit prior to July 1, 2015, for a course for which the end-of-course examination is prescribed.

(ii) The examination was not available for administration prior to July 1, 2015.

Receipt of credit for the course described in division (B)(6)(a)(i) of this section shall satisfy the requirement to take the end-of-course examination. A student exempted under division (B)(6)(a) of this section may take the applicable end-of-course examination at a later date.

(b) For purposes of determining whether a student who is exempt from taking an end-of-course examination under division (B)(6)(a) of this section has attained the cumulative score prescribed by division (B)(5)(c) of this section, such student shall select either of the following:

(i) The student is considered to have attained a proficient score on the end-of-course examination from which the student is exempt;

(ii) The student’s final course grade shall be used in lieu of a score on the end-of-course examination from which the student is exempt.

The department, in consultation with the chancellor, shall adopt guidelines for purposes of calculating the corresponding final course grades and the minimum cumulative performance score that demonstrates the level of academic achievement necessary to earn a high school diploma.

(7)(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this section, the department may replace the algebra I end-of-course examination prescribed under division (B)(2) of this section with an algebra II end-of-course examination, beginning with the 2016-2017 school year for students who enter ninth grade on or after July 1, 2016.

(b) If the department replaces the algebra I end-of-course examination with an algebra II end-of-course examination as authorized under division (B)(7)(a) of this section, both of the following shall apply:

(i) A student who is enrolled in an advanced placement or international baccalaureate course in algebra II shall take the advanced placement or international baccalaureate examination in lieu of the algebra II end-of-course examination.

(ii) A student who is enrolled in an algebra II course under any other advanced standing program, as described in section 3313.6013 of the Revised Code, shall not be required to take the algebra II end-of-course examination. Instead, that student’s final course grade shall be used in lieu of the examination.

(c) If a school district or school utilizes an integrated approach to mathematics instruction, the district or school may do either or both of the following:

(i) Administer an integrated mathematics I end-of-course examination in lieu of the prescribed algebra I end-of-course examination;

(ii) Administer an integrated mathematics II end-of-course examination in lieu of the prescribed geometry end-of-course examination.

(8)(a) For students entering the ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2014, but prior to July 1, 2015, the assessment in the area of science shall be physical science or biology. For students entering the ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2015, the assessment in the area of science shall be biology.

(b) Until July 1, 2019, the department shall make available the end-of-course examination in physical science for students who entered the ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2014, but prior to July 1, 2015, and who wish to retake the examination.

(c) The department shall adopt rules prescribing the requirements for the end-of-course examination in science for students who entered the ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2014, but prior to July 1, 2015, and who have not met the requirement prescribed by section 3313.618 of the Revised Code by July 1, 2019, due to a student’s failure to satisfy division (A)(2) of section 3313.618 of the Revised Code.

(9) The department shall not develop or administer an end-of-course examination in the area of world history.

(10) The department, in consultation with the chancellor and the governor’s office of workforce transformation, shall determine a competency score for both of the Algebra I and English language arts II end-of-course examinations for the purpose of graduation eligibility.

(C) The department shall convene a group of national experts, state experts, and local practitioners to provide advice, guidance, and recommendations for the alignment of standards and model curricula to the assessments and in the design of the end-of-course examinations prescribed by this section.

(D) Upon completion of the development of the assessment system, the department shall adopt rules prescribing all of the following:

(1) A timeline and plan for implementation of the assessment system, including a phased implementation if the department determines such a phase-in is warranted;

(2) The date after which a person shall meet the requirements of the entire assessment system as a prerequisite for a diploma of adult education under section 3313.611 of the Revised Code;

(3) Whether and the extent to which a person may be excused from an American history end-of-course examination and an American government end-of-course examination under division (H) of section 3313.61 and division (B)(3) of section 3313.612 of the Revised Code;

(4) The date after which a person who has fulfilled the curriculum requirement for a diploma but has not passed one or more of the required assessments at the time the person fulfilled the curriculum requirement shall meet the requirements of the entire assessment system as a prerequisite for a high school diploma under division (B) of section 3313.614 of the Revised Code;

(5) The extent to which the assessment system applies to students enrolled in a dropout recovery and prevention program for purposes of division (F) of section 3313.603 and section 3314.36 of the Revised Code.

(E)(1) Any person enrolled in a nonchartered nonpublic school or any person who is exempt from attendance at school for the purpose of home education under section 3321.042 of the Revised Code may choose to participate in the system of assessments administered under divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section. However, no such person shall be required to participate in the system of assessments.

(2) The department shall adopt rules for the administration and scoring of any assessments under division (E)(1) of this section.

(F) The department shall select at least one nationally recognized job skills assessment. Each school district shall administer that assessment to those students who opt to take it. The department shall reimburse a school district for the costs of administering that assessment. The department shall establish the minimum score a student must attain on the job skills assessment in order to demonstrate a student’s workforce readiness and employability. The administration of the job skills assessment to a student under this division shall not exempt a school district from administering the assessments prescribed in division (B) of this section to that student.