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Oregon Report Cards

2007-2008 School Year Report Cards

Nearly 200 Oregon schools rated exceptional or strong by the state last year saw their ratings drop a notch this year because student achievement remained the same or dropped.  Poor reading and math scores meant that two-thirds of the state's largest high schools earned a satisfactory or low rating, the equivalent of C and D grades.

This marked the 10th year the state issued report cards on each public school, grading them primarily on how many of their students pass state reading and math tests. Attendance rates, improvement over time, writing scores and dropout rates also factor in.

Although the state's grading system was set up to go easy on schools compared with the tougher federal ratings, this year's state report cards cast most Oregon schools' performance as minimally acceptable.

That's because the grading scale rewards improvement -- and few schools managed substantial performance gains. Just 15 percent of schools were pegged as significantly improved this year, compared with 25 percent on last year's report cards.

The state report cards, instituted years before the federal No Child Left Behind law, grade schools based on schoolwide passing rates on state tests. The federal rating, by contrast, grades schools on the performance of students in a host of groups, including special education students, low-income students and those learning English as a second language. If a single group posts low passing rates on the state reading or math test, the whole school's performance is rated an inadequate.

That explains why only 3 percent of schools get a grade of low or unacceptable on their state report card, while one of every three Oregon schools was graded inadequate on the federal ratings issued in August.

Schools that get a grade of unacceptable face no consequences apart from having to send a copy of that report card home to every parent.

Here are some of the schools in the metro area that were rated as exceptional:

West Linn High, Glencoe High in Hillsboro, Lincoln High in Portland, Lake Oswego High, Lakeridge High in Lake Oswego, West Sylvan Middle in Portland, Happy Valley Elementary, North Clackamas, Findley Elementary in Beaverton, Jacob Wismer Elementary in Beaverton, and Jackson Middle in Portland.

Source:  "Oregon school ratings fall, fewer exemplary" by Betsy Hammond. The Oregonian. Tuesday October 07, 2008.

Oregon Report Card History

Oregon law (ORS 329.105) requires that the Oregon Department of Education issue performance reports for public schools.  These performance reports shall include school ratings for:

  • Overall School Performance

  • Student Performance

  • Student Behavior

  • School Characteristics

Schools shall be rated as:

  • Exceptional

  • Strong

  • Satisfactory

  • Low

  • Unacceptable

Beginning in 2009, schools will be divided into three categories: outstanding, satisfactory or in need of improvement.

History and Rules

Report cards are released in the fall each year for the previous school year.  Report cards are issued for each Oregon school district as well as individual schools.

Oregon school report cards were first issued in January 2000 with the rating formulas and rules remaining largely unchanged during the first three years. Extensive revisions in the formula were reflected in the report cards released in January 2003. Additional changes in displays were incorporated for January 2004 to bring the report card into compliance with requirements o f the No Child Left Behind Act.

Senate Bill 811 passed in July 2001 requires specific data elements to be displayed on school and district report cards. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandates additional data elements and displays for school and district report cards produced by states.

Changes for 2009

Schools that get a grade of unacceptable face no consequences apart from having to send a copy of that report card home to every parent. That will change when the state updates its grading system next year, however.

Beginning in 2009, schools will be divided into three categories: outstanding, satisfactory or in need of improvement. Schools in the bottom category will face consequences from the state that will escalate every year the school rates unsatisfactory.

Federal vs. State Report Cards

The annual Oregon school report cards differ from the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) ratings.  The state judges schools on average student performances, while the federal rating scrutinize individual groups such as limited English, minority, and special education students.  If one of those groups doesn't meet performance targets, the school is downgraded.

Two Web sites for Information About NCLB

  • For further information, visit the US Department of Education's Web site at No Child Left Behind.  The site includes a "Parents Guide", newsletter subscription, etc.

  • Learning First, an non-profit education organization, has published a document that explains the law.  This document is fairly easy to read and understand.

Variables Included in the Rating

Ratings

Criteria

Overall Student Performance, Student Behavior, Improvement, School Characteristics
Student Performance Elementary/Middle School: Student performance in Grades 3, 5, 8 on Oregon Statewide Assessments in Reading and Math Knowledge and Skills.
High School: Student performance in Grade 10 on Oregon Statewide Assessments in Reading, Math Knowledge and Skills, Writing, and Math Problem Solving.
Student Behavior Elementary/Middle School: Attendance rate.
High School: Attendance and Dropout rates.
Improvement Improvement in Reading and Math Knowledge and Skills assessment scores combined with improvement in attendance and dropout rates.
School Characteristics Percentage of eligible students participating in Oregon Statewide Assessments.

More Details

If you would like more information about how the rating are determine, the Oregon Department of Education has two documents available to review:

Where to Find the Report Cards

The State of Oregon Department of Education has posted the report cards at their Web site.  You can select a school or district report starting with the 2000 school year at:

The Oregonian (state's largest newspaper) at their Web site has a online reference guide where visitors can search by a number of variable to obtain test scores, federal ratings, school demographics, staffing, and finances:

All Lake Oswego Schools Rated Exceptional

For the first time in the Lake Oswego district’s history, all of the 13 schools in the district earned a ranking of exceptional on the State School Report Cards, released by the Oregon Department of Education in October 2005.  In 2006, all the schools except Lake Oswego High School obtain the top rating - Lake Oswego High School attained a "strong" rating.

Exceptional is the highest ranking a school can earn. Other than a few very small school districts, Lake Oswego is the only district in the state to earn what is essentially a perfect score.

Portland Monthly Magazine Guide to Schools

In their December issue each year, the Portland Monthly magazine reports on over 600 schools in the metro area and make what they referred to as a "crib sheet."  The sheet gives school rankings, test scores, and statistics that will help you evaluate the schools without the need for in-depth study.

Included in the document are Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, average number of students per grade, and Oregon Statewide Assessment (OSA), etc.  They track 11 different variables.

Click here to download the document (PDF format).



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Susan Marthens
Principal Real Estate Broker, GRI
(503) 497-2984
Fax (503) 220-1131

 

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