Ohio State, other colleges, and universities fail the reading audit

The Ohio State University and other major institutions of higher learning recently failed Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s reading audit.

On Tuesday, DeWine and Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Mike Duffey announced the results of a recent audit into educator preparation programs at the Buckeye State’s colleges and universities, according to a press release.

The audit, mandated by state law, was conducted to determine whether the colleges and universities align with DeWine’s Science of Reading, first introduced in 2023.

“Decades of research tell us the Science of Reading gives students of all ability levels the best chance to become strong, independent readers,” DeWine said. “Our kids only have one chance to grow up. We have an obligation to act with great urgency to make sure every future teacher going through our college programs is learning the best way to teach reading.”

The audit evaluated all 48 Ohio colleges and universities offering 12-Hour Reading and Literacy Core courses. Thirty-three programs received a final rating of “In Alignment,” five programs received a final rating of “Partial Alignment,” and 10 programs received a final rating of “Not in Alignment.”

Among the universities that were not aligned with the requirements were the Ohio State University, Cleveland State University, Ohio University, and the University of Toledo.

On the other hand, other colleges and universities either fully or partially met DeWine’s standards. Among them were Kent State University, Miami University, the University of Akron, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Dayton, Franciscan University of Steubenville, and Ohio Wesleyan University.

The institutions that were “In Alignment” met at least 71 of 73 audit metrics and had zero violations of banned teaching practices. The institutions that were in “Partial Alignment” met 50-70 of 73 audit metrics and had no violations of banned teaching practices. The institutions rated “Not in Alignment” were assigned to this category for one or more violations of banned teaching practices.

“Many colleges are excelling with their implementation of the Science of Reading. Not only will this improve their students’ job prospects, but it will also make future generations of children better readers,” DeWine said. “On the other hand, the audit found that there were still several institutions that had more work to do to become fully aligned.”

DeWine said that colleges and universities that have not met the criteria will have one year from Tuesday to align with the Science of Reading fully. If they fail to do that, Duffey will revoke approval for their reading/literacy educator preparation programs.

Ohio lawmakers previously sought to improve the state’s education system by introducing bills to support struggling students and announcing a K-12 education plan.