The Ohio Department of Education created this guidance manual to help school districts, community schools and chartered nonpublic schools understand the requirements of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee and connect these requirements to research-based reading instruction practices. Each section, except for the Federal Funding, Data Reporting and Chartered Nonpublic Schools sections, is organized first by the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) research-based practice and, second, the Requirements under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Only practices outlined under the headings “Requirements under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee” are required by state law.