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Oregon Report Cards
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2007-2008 School Year Report Cards |
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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
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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:
Schools shall be rated as:
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Exceptional
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Strong
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Satisfactory
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Low
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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
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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.
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Learning First,
an non-profit education organization, has published a
document that explains the law. This document is fairly easy
to read and understand.
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Variables Included
in the Rating
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Ratings
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Criteria
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Overall |
Student Performance, Student Behavior, Improvement, School Characteristics |
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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. |
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Student Behavior |
Elementary/Middle School: Attendance rate.
High School: Attendance and Dropout rates. |
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Improvement |
Improvement in Reading and Math Knowledge and Skills assessment
scores combined with improvement in attendance and dropout rates. |
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School Characteristics |
Percentage of eligible students participating in Oregon Statewide
Assessments. |
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More Details
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If you would like more information about how the rating
are determine, the Oregon Department of Education has two documents available
to review:
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Where to Find the Report Cards
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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:
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All Lake Oswego Schools Rated Exceptional
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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.
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Portland Monthly Magazine Guide to Schools
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 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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