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Testing Programs for Oregon Public Schools
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Oregon has two testing programs. First is the Oregon
Statewide Assessment test (OSA) given in different grade levels and the
other is the high school Graduation Requirement Test (GRT).
The Oregon Statewide Assessment is different from national,
norm-referenced tests used in many districts and states. The Oregon Statewide
Assessment is a criterion-referenced assessment based on the
Oregon Content Standards. As a result, the types of scores produced
from the Oregon Statewide Assessment are somewhat different from those produced
by national, norm-referenced tests. Norm-referenced tests assess a student’s
broad knowledge, measuring performance against a relevant comparison group.
Criterion-referenced tests measure specific skills in relation to pre-established
standards of academic performance. Advocates of standards-based reform prefer
criterion-referenced tests because they can be directly aligned to a given
state’s standards.
Nationally, 70 percent of high school students must pass
exit exams to get a diploma, according to the
Center on Education Policy. Oregon was a late comer to establish a graduation
testing program. It finally did so in 2008 but the state has push
the dates back for implementation numerous times.
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The Oregon Statewide Assessment Test (OSA)
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The purposes of the Oregon Statewide Assessment Program
are:
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To provide information on individual student achievement
on performance standards set by the State Board of Education.
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To provide information for policy decisions by the
legislature, the governor, the State Board of Education, and local school
districts.
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To support instructional program improvement efforts.
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To inform the public about student achievement in
Oregon schools.
Testing Grade Levels
 Under
Oregon’s assessment system, reading and math tests are given at grades 3-8
and at grade 11; writing tests are given at grades 4, 7, and 11. Oregon
is moving its 10th-grade tests in reading, writing, math and science to
the 11th grade, saying many students need another year of high school to
learn the skills covered on the tests. The tests were written for sophomores,
and the minimum passing scores were set based on how sophomores performed
on the tests. But, beginning with the 2010-1011 school year, they will be
given to juniors, and the state's high schools will be judged by how many
of their students pass the exams by the end of junior year. Oregon got permission
from the U.S. Department of Education to make the standard easier for schools.
When Oregon sophomores take the tests, a lot of them fail, particularly
in math. In 2009, 46 percent of 10th-graders flunked that test, 45
percent failed the writing test and 42 percent failed in science.
In 2007, the state delivered over 1.4 million tests through
DE’s computer-based testing system, OAKS Online (OAKS = Oregon Assessment
of Knowledge & Skills). The state-of-the-art testing system is unique among
the 50 states and has several advantages over other online assessments and
old-style pencil-and-paper testing. Students take tests online, and each
test is individually adapted to the student taking the test. Students have
up to three opportunities to take required tests in reading and mathematics.
A major benefit of OAKS Online is that students and teachers receive immediate,
detailed feedback and reports when tests are completed.
Subjects Tested
The assessment
is made up of multiple-choice and performance assessments in these areas:
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Reading and literature knowledge and skills
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Mathematics knowledge and skills
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Science
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Social sciences
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Writing
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Mathematics problem solving
Oregon law mandates that public school students be tested
annually in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. The federal No Child Left
Behind (NCLB) law mandates annual testing for all states by 2005-2006.
NCLB does not explicitly require states to administer the same test from
year to year.
For reading/literature and mathematics, scores produced
from the Oregon Statewide Assessment are based on an achievement scale widely
used in the Northwest. The scale, with numbers ranging from about 150 to
300, is similar to other scales such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
scale or other "growth" scales. Each point on the scale is at an equal distance
from the previous point on the scale, so changes up or down can be charted
and viewed as comparable from year to year.
Writing and mathematics problem solving rely on a model,
which trains expert "judges," typically classroom teachers, to match student
work to criteria for performance on a predetermined scale. Writing is analyzed
by two different raters on six elements or traits of good writing, and each
trait is rated on a scale of 1 - 6 (low to high). Raters of mathematics
problem solving assessments look at four elements or dimensions of good
problem solving. Each dimension is rated on a scale of 1 - 6; in addition,
the work is analyzed for the correctness of the solution.
Starting in 2007, under the No Child Left Behind law, Oregon
had to check with a panel of teachers, professors, principals, business
leaders and others to make sure that the tests were difficult enough for
each grade. In 2007, those groups decided Oregon's math and reading tests
were too easy in elementary and early middle school, so they raised the
passing score on state tests in grades three through seven.
Where to Find Test Results
The Oregon Department of Education's Web site has a "Accountability/Reporting"
table where you can find test results for any Oregon school district as
well as individual schools within a district. You can obtain results
by school year, sub-group (gender, ethnicity, etc.), and by subject (reading
& literature, mathematics, science, etc.). Should you desire, you
can also download the data (Microsoft Excel) into a spreadsheet.
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| Statewide 2010 OSA
Results |
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On August 30, 2010, State Schools Superintendent Susan
Castillo announced the results of Oregon student performance on the 2009-2010
assessment tests in reading, mathematics, writing and science.
This year, knowing their diplomas depend on it, Oregon
high school sophomores made unprecedented gains in reading, with a record
71 percent of students passing the state reading exam. Still, 12,000 Oregon
students will begin their junior year next week at risk of failing to graduate.
They must pass the state reading test or its equivalent by senior year to
get a diploma.
The state Board of Education voted more than two years
ago to add Oregon to the list of 27 states that require students to pass
a standardized test to get a diploma. The class of 2012, which enters its
junior year this fall, is the first to face the requirement, and only in
reading.
The class of 2013 will also have to pass the state writing test, and the
class of 2014 the math test, too − requirements
expected to be much more daunting than the reading test.
West Linn, Lakeridge and Lake Oswego high schools, which
primarily serve children of college-educated parents and where about one-tenth
of students are low-income, had the best passing rates of big metro-area
high schools. Roosevelt, Jefferson, Madison and David Douglas, all high-poverty
high schools inside Portland city limits, had the worst. But there were
notable exceptions: Oregon City High − where
one-third of students are low-income − got 88
percent of its sophomores to pass, tying Lake Oswego and beating Lincoln.
Forest Grove High, where 54 percent of students are low-income and half
are Latino, got 80 percent of its students to meet state reading standards.
Finding Test Scores
The percentage of students meeting/exceeding state standards
on the 2009-10 state assessment tests:
Reading (multiple-choice)
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4th Grade 84% (84% in 2008-09)
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6th Grade 77% (77% in 2008-09)
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8th Grade 70% (70% in 2008-09)
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10th Grade 71% (66% in 2008-09)
Writing (writing sample)
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4th Grade 44% 44% in 2008-09)
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8th Grade 50% (48% in 2008-09)
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10th Grade 53% (55% in 2008-09)
Math (multiple-choice)
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4th Grade 79% (77% in 2008-09)
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6th Grade 74% (73% in 2008-09)
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8th Grade 72% (71% in 2008-09)
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10th Grade 56% (54% in 2008-09)
Science (multiple-choice)
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6th Grade 74% (75% in 2008-09)
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8th Grade 71% (72% in 2008-09)
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10th Grade 60% (58% in 2008-09)
Source: Oregon Department of Education and The
Oregonian.
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Oregon Graduation Requirements Test
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Starting with the senior class of 2012, it will get tougher
to graduate from high school in Oregon, under a plan passed in 2008, by
members of the Oregon state Board of Education. Every high school graduate's
transcript will show whether the student passed or failed state tests in
writing and math, even though passing is not required. The act also requires
students to give three speeches that meet state standards. If the student
has passed, that could allow them to bypass placement tests at community
colleges and remedial classes at public universities
− a step that university and community college
leaders have indicated they are likely to adopt. In addition, parents and
taxpayers will be able to see how well each school is doing at getting graduates
to measure up in writing and math, putting pressure on schools to raise
their performance.
The state also needs to design a way for students to show
they read well enough to meet state reading standards without passing the
state reading. The Oregon Department of Education will establish a
system to do that.
One-third of Oregon sophomores failed the state reading
and writing exams in 2007, and 45 percent failed the state math test.
Oregon will be the 27th state to require students to pass
a state high school graduation exam. California began requiring students
to pass state reading and math exams in 2006. Washington graduated
its first class of students in 2008 who had to pass state reading and writing
exams to get a diploma. Oregon will be one of just two states (the other
one is New Jersey) to allow students to substitute a locally graded essay
or work sample if they can't pass the state graduation test.
December 2008: Delay in Math Test
The Oregon Board of Education members said in mid-December
that they plan to push back a mandatory math test to get a diploma. That
means that this year's high school freshmen won't have to prove they have
mastered introductory algebra, geometry and statistics to graduate. Board
members said that since almost half of sophomores fail the math test on
their first try, it would be too difficult for schools to get all students
proficient in math by 2012 without a large infusion of money
− money the state doesn't have in this recession.
The board agreed to postpone the math test requirement until 2014.
August 2009: Delay in Writing and Public Speaking
Oregon's state school board is again delaying tougher graduation
requirements for high schools, pushing back a writing mandate until the
class of 2013 and postponing indefinitely a public speaking requirement.
Just last year, the state Board of Education voted to require
every student to pass state tests in reading, math, writing and speaking
to get a diploma, beginning with the class of 2012. But today the board
will make it official that, while incoming sophomores still have to pass
a reading test to get a diploma, the writing requirement will be delayed
until the following year and demonstrating proficiency at public speaking
will be delayed until 2015 or later.
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