Oregon Test Scores Flat, Show Racial, Income DIsparities

The results are in on how Oregon students did on the Common Core tests last year and the news was mixed at best. Lots of individual grades in individual schools showed improvement but overall, the results were flat across the state.

The reading and math tests - also known as Smarter Balanced - showed little or no improvement for most grades though elementary students and high school juniors provided rays of hope.

It was only the second time that Oregon students took the tests.

"What is most exciting about this year’s results is the progress made by students across the board, including those from groups that have historically performed at lower levels than their peers," Oregon Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Salem Noor said.

"This progress reflects the dedication and hard work by our students and educators to meet higher standards as we aim to ensure all students in Oregon are successfully prepared for their next steps."

Nearly 160,400 (55 percent) of students earned a 3 or 4 and are considered on track to be college- and career-ready in English Language Arts, and almost 119,500 (42 percent) earned a 3 or 4 in Math.

The results also provided discouraging news when it came to disparities between the races and between low and high income students.

While roughly 47 percent of white students were testing where they needed to be in math, the same was true of only 24 percent of Hispanic students and 19 percent of black students.

Even where there was good news, it often came mixed with the bad.

For instance, third graders showed the most proficiency in math of any grade. But only 48 percent met or exceeded state standards. That number pretty much dropped with each grade (except seventh) through 11th grade.

Only 33 percent of high school juniors met or exceeded standards in math.

The numbers for juniors may be deceptive because 13 percent of juniors opted not to take the test. Ten percent of juniors did not take the English test.

The federal government says the test results are only reliable when 94.5 percent of students take the test.

In Portland - which was one of only eight districts across the state to fail to meet that level in every grade and subject - the opt-out rates were highest in high schools and in elementary and K-8 schools on the east side where there are large numbers of middle-income families.

In Portland schools where kids did take the tests, the results showed a lot of work still needs to be done.

Elementary schools in the city's lower-income neighborhoods had very small numbers of students meeting or exceeding state standards.

At Boise-Eliot/Humboldt, only 28 percent were reading and writing at or above the state standard. And while that was low, it is markedly above schools such as Cesar Chavez, where only 15 percent of kids were at or above the standard.

At Portland's Jefferson High School, only ten percent of juniors were at or above the standard and math and less than one in four at the standard in English.

The highest performing high school in math in Portland was Lincoln High School where 54 percent were at or above the standard. In English, the leader was Grant High School, where 78 percent of juniors were at or above the standard.

The spokeswoman for Portland Public Schools, Courtney Westling, tells Patch that the district sees the results overall as encouraging but also indicative of the work that still needs to be done.

"These results show us that PPS students on average are performing higher than the state average in almost all subjects at almost all grades, but for our purposes, these results tell a story of where the district is making improvements in student achievement and where we need to continue to prioritize our efforts going forward," she said.

"Going forward these data are a tool for us to use as we evaluate what is working and how we can apply that success to maximize the academic achievement and success for all of our students at every grade."

And, outside of Portland, the same held true.

In the Reynolds School District, Adair and Glenfair Elementary Schools only eight percent of students were at or above standard.

At Reedville Elementary in Hillsboro, only 13 percent were at or above the standard.

The news was better in Beaverton where 66 percent of students met or surpassed the state standard in English and 56 percent in math. Both are double digit improvements over the state average.

The district, while please, say the results show more needs to be done.

"We know we have work to do especially in improving the results for our economically disadvantaged students, special education students and second language students," District Spokeswoman Maureen Wheeler told Patch. "Our teachers and leaders are committed to seeing that every student reaches their potential and experiences success."

Lake Oswego was also a district with more positive than negative news. Participation was up as well as scores in both English and math.

This story will be updated.

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