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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Good news for skiers ... Should women serve in combat roles? ... Flood watch issued for Sunday ... Good news for skiers ... Should women serve in combat roles? ... Flood watch issued for Sunday ... OTHER VIEWS Other Views: Will Smarter Balanced tests get a chance to work? Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Oct. 31, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Oct. 31, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Excerpted from Eugene Register-Guard Students in Oregon's public schools took a new and tougher battery of standardized tests at the end of last school year, and the results tell a familiar story of achievement gaps and a lack of proficiency in mathematics. But there are differences: The new Smarter Balanced tests are more closely aligned with what students are taught in the classroom, and the results will allow more meaningful year-to-year, school-to-school and state-to-state comparisons. The question now is whether the closer and more rigorous fusion of testing and curricula will be given a chance to work. Oregon students scored about 10 percentage points higher than expected, based on a limited trial run in 2014. Statewide, 54.1 percent of students in all grades demonstrated proficiency in language arts and 40.8 percent in math. Those sound like terrible scores ... but with colleges reporting that three out of four Oregon high school graduates need remedial courses, education officials were braced for worse results. More data points from future years will reveal more meaningful comparisons — provided the data are reliable. Oregon students' participation rate in the new tests was just over the 94.5 percent threshold set by the U.S. Department of Education, and could slip further because of a new state law that makes it easier to opt out of the tests. It would be a shame if Oregon finally reached the point of being able to measure educational results, and then allowed the picture to slip out of focus. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Oct. 31, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501