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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 Educationn 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 the areas of
reading and literature, writing, mathematics, and science and is given several
times throughout the school year. Oregon used to test students at grades
3, 5, 8, and 10; last year, the federal No Child Left Behind law required
Oregon to test students in grades 4, 5, 6, and 7. As a result, Oregon now
tests students at grades 3-8 and tests high school students at grade 11,
providing schools and teachers with more information and better data on
individual student achievement and growth.
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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On August 31, State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo
announced the results of Oregon student performance on the 2008-09 assessment
tests in reading, mathematics, writing and science.
Oregon middle schools notched big gains this year, hitting
historic highs in reading, math and science achievement.
New state test scores also showed little change in academic
achievement in elementary and high schools in 2009. That was disappointing,
given the statewide focus on improving high schools. About 45 percent of
sophomores failed to hit grade-level benchmarks on math and writing exams
again this year. By contrast, middle schools improved their results at every
grade level. Seventh-graders were the star pupils, with three-fourths of
them hitting state benchmarks in reading and math.
Graduation requirements will be phased in. The class of
2012 (this year's sophomores) will have to pass the state reading test to
get a diploma, and the class of 2013 will also have to pass the state writing
test. The class of 2014 will have to pass state reading, writing and math
tests. That timeline has been delayed from more ambitious plans.
A good source is
The Oregonian's
Schools Guide that compares test scores and federal ratings for every
Oregon public school.
The percentage of students meeting/exceeding state standards
on the 2008-09 state assessment tests:
Reading (multiple-choice)
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3rd Grade 83% (down from 84% in 07-08)
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4th Grade 84% (up from 83% in 07-08)
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5th Grade 76% (up from 75% in 07-08)
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6th Grade 77% (up from 73% in 07-08)
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7th Grade 77% (up from 74% in 07-08)
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8th Grade 70% (up from 65% in 07-08)
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10th Grade 66% (up from 65% in 07-08)
Writing (writing sample)
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4th Grade 44% (up from 43% in 07-08)
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7th Grade 48% (down from 49% in 07-08)
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10th Grade 55% (down from 56% in 07-08)
Math (multiple-choice)
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3rd Grade 77% (no change from 07-08)
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4th Grade 77% (no change from 07-08)
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5th Grade 77% (no change from 07-08)
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6th Grade 73% (up from 70% in 07-08)
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7th Grade 78% (up from 74% in 07-08)
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8th Grade 71% (up from 69% in 07-08)
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10th Grade 54% (up from 52% in 07-08)
Science (multiple-choice)
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5th Grade 75% (no change from 07-08)
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8th Grade 72% (up from 69% in 07-08)
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10th Grade 58% (up from 57% in 07-08)
To find the test results by school district and school
visit
Oregon Department of Education OSA test results.
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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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