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Student writing improves Tenth graders� tests demand real-world skills By Vicki Guarino Student test scores released by the state Department of Education this week show more local students meeting Oregon�s academic standards, turning in particularly high writing scores. The latest scores from tests that students took late last winter assess writing and mathematical problem-solving skills. For students, these are the most demanding of the state�s battery of tests because they require considerable time and a range of abilities in understanding and using a variety of academic skills. They also are the tests that employ real-world demands, says Central Point School District Curriculum Director Doug Jantzi. In math, for instance, students have to identify a problem within a story, and solve it with more than one method. "It�s not just a formula, and math in the real world isn�t handed to us in a formula," Jantzi says. Students passing all the tests qualify for the Oregon high school CIM, the Certificate of Initial Mastery. To earn a CIM, students must pass tests in reading, math multiple choice, science, speaking, as well as writing and problem solving. Other test scores were released over the summer. The state soon is expected to announce the percentage of 10th graders passing all five tests required for the CIM. Although portions of the CIM tests incorporate real-world demands, the real world � colleges, employers, just about everyone beyond high school walls � hasn�t incorporated CIM into evaluation and approval processes, notes Medford schools administrator Phil Long. That makes it difficult for students to see the significance of the testing. "That�s really the piece we need at this point to validate the CIM for students," says Long, who supervises secondary schools� curriculum. CIM is distinct from high school diplomas, which carry course credit requirements and often local requirements such as completion of a special project. Beginning next year, students will have the option of submitting CIM scores for entrance consideration at Oregon universities. Long calls the move a good first step, but says students need more motivation to get through the difficult testing regimen and do well. Meanwhile, school teachers and administrators are continuing to examine test score details and make adjustments in curriculum. For instance, about 90 parents and staff from all eight Central Point district schools are meeting tonight to begin taking up the issue. They�ll be writing school improvement plans next month. Administrators say focusing on key CIM areas has brought about improvements in student scores. In Central Point, for example, writing was the first area designated by staff to receive special attention some eight years ago. "That�s why we see the highest results in writing," Jantzi says. Generally, both Jantzi and Long look at scores from their schools � the county�s three largest high schools � and see steady improvement. Gains aren�t always reflected in the scores, which report the percentage of students passing, not the numbers passing, Long notes. "Overall, I think we�re pleased because we�re testing more kids and the scores are improving," Long says. Across the state, 10th-graders scored higher in the writing test last winter than in the winter before, but lower on the math problem-solving test. The education department reports that 77 percent passed the writing test, up 5 percent from 1999, and 45 percent passed the math problem-solving test, down 5 percent. Oregon assessment test results, plus information about the tests and the CIM, are posted on the Web at ode.state.or.us. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA