Ohio. Department of Education

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for primary and secondary public education in the state. It is a cabinet level state agency and the director is appointed by the governor. The Ohio State Board of Education used to be the governing body of the department but House Bill 33 (signed by Governor Mike DeWine in July 2023) transferred most of the duties of the State Board of Education to the newly created Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. The department is headquartered in Columbus. The department and the State Board of Education are two separate agencies. The department is responsible for implementing standardized tests required by state and federal law, including the Ohio Achievement Test (OAT), Ohio Graduation Test (OGT), and the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA, formerly OTELA). The department does not have jurisdiction over higher education; Ohio's public colleges and universities are governed as part of the University System of Ohio by the Ohio Board of Regents and by the boards of trustees of each institution.