Deborah Delisle, superintendent of public instruction, late last week announced that Education Week's Quality Counts 2010 report ranked Ohio's educational system fifth in the nation. Ohio's overall all grade was a "B-minus." Maryland, New York, Massachusetts and Virginia make up the remainder of the top five.

"This report confirms what the members of Ohio's educational community have known for several years — Ohio has a strong system that is viewed as a national leader," Delisle said. "I would like to commend the administrators, teachers, students and policy makers who have helped strengthen Ohio's education system."

Ohio continues to make steady progress, as this is the third straight year Ohio has gained ground in the annual Quality Counts report. Previously, Ohio ranked seventh in 2008 and sixth in 2009.

"Ohio's schools deserve a thunderous round of applause for making continuous strides each of the past three years in the Education Week rankings. We have made quality, affordable learning a priority for our students, knowing that a modern education with dedicated teachers and relevant assessments will help prepare our children for success in the future," Governor Ted Strickland said. "I believe that our comprehensive education reform plan will further strengthen Ohio's national position for years to come. I appreciate the efforts of Ohio's educators, State Superintendent Deborah Delisle and members of the State Board of Education Board for their tireless efforts to strengthen our schools so our students can compete with students anywhere on earth."

"Education Week's validation of Ohio's efforts will also bolster Ohio's Race to the Top application for federal funds that we will be submitting in the next several days."

Of the six areas examined, Ohio's strongest performance was in standards, assessment and accountability. The state received a grade of "A", tied for third best in the nation. The analysis in this area focuses on how rigorous learning expectations were, how challenging assessments of learning are, and how both are linked to school accountability.

Ohio was the first state to internationally benchmark content standards, looking to leading countries around the world for the best practices. The report notes that Ohio's standards for mathematics and science have been cited as a model by other states.

Quality Counts 2010: Fresh Course, Swift Current -- Momentum and Challenges in the Surge Toward Common Standards examines the effort by states to develop common standards. The Common Core standards in mathematics and English language arts are under development in a state-led process that is being facilitated by the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Boards of Education. Currently, 51 states and territories are participating in the process.

Ohio has a strong presence in the Common Core effort. Delisle has been an advocate for more rigorous content standards for our nation's students. She has supported the efforts to develop common standards and Ohio has committed to adopting the Common Core standards in mathematics and English language arts.

"As educators, we must continue to evaluate what knowledge and skills we expect of our students. We must ensure that they are prepared for their future and possess the critical thinking and other skills that will be necessary for success," Delisle said.

Ohio's efforts to offer students a quality education, regardless of their zip code are also recognized in other areas analyzed in the Quality Counts report. Ohio ranked high among other states in other grading categories of the Quality Counts 2010 report.

Highlights from other areas analyzed in the 2010 report:

Chance for Success is a "best in class" rubric that looks at preparation, school performance, and education and economic outcomes. Ohio lost one position in this area, down to 25th nationally, from 24th in 2008. The data show that Ohio's students perform well on both the reading and math NAEP assessments and the state does well compared to other states in graduating students from high school. Ohio doesn't fare as well in the number of children who attend preschool. We also are not as strong as other states in terms of the percent of adults with two- or four-year postsecondary degrees.

School Finance provides an updated assessment of the states' finance systems. Ohio currently ranks 18th nationally, but is still spending more per pupil than the national average. When examining education spending as a percent of total taxable resources, Ohio continues to rank well above the national average, spending 4.5 percent of its total resources on education compared to 3.8 percent nationally. Information from fiscal year 2007 was analyzed in this part of the analysis.

Standards, Assessment and Accountability analyzes how rigorous learning expectations were, how challenging assessments of learning are, and how both are linked to school accountability. Ohio tied for 3rd in this category. Ohio has long been held as a national leader in the development of standards, use of assessments to measure student success and employing the results of assessments to hold schools accountable. Ohio has also been noted as a leader in the development of the Common Core Standards.

Teaching Profession looks at state efforts to improve teacher quality. Strong teachers and school leaders are fundamental and undeniably linked to the success of Ohio's students. The report indicates that Ohio is one of 13 states where student achievement can be tied to teacher evaluations. This year, Ohio received a C+ in this area, ranking 14th in the nation. While Ohio demonstrates strength in several areas, there are others in which we must strive to do more. Through the Race to the Top grant, we hope to be able to experiment with programs which will address areas such as linking teacher pay with student achievement.