Document text
Student tests improve But high school reading slips slightly By Vicki Guarino Some gains, some losses and, in some cases little change, show up in new student scores on state academic achievement tests. While high school reading scores slipped slightly from the year before, according to data released Thursday by the Oregon Department of Education, state and local school officials see overall gain and take it as a sign that Oregon�s decade-long effort to lift academic achievement is beginning to pay off. "The standards the state set are high,�� said Eagle Point School District Superintendent Bill Jones. ��Everybody applauds the high standards. Now we have to give kids a chance to meet them. "I can say that we are making growth; we are moving in the right direction.�� After years of stagnant and declining scores, Eagle Point High School was one of just three local schools to improve both math and reading scores from the year before. The scores released Thursday were for tests given in the winter and spring. Only part of the results were ready, however. The state will release remaining results � math problem solving, science and writing � in August. Of the results that are available, the biggest gains among Jackson County high schools came at Rogue River High School, where reading scores rose by 18 percentage points and math scores rose by 14 percentage points. Nearly all local high schools posted gains in math but mixed results in reading. Medford high schools� scores changed little. Overall, most 10th-graders continue to fall below the academic standards set for them by the state. Only in Ashland are more than half of sophomores making the grade. In releasing tests results, state Schools Superintendent Stan Bunn called attention to the gains. He noted an 8 percent gain in eighth-grade reading tests scores, for example. "The evidence is clear,�� Bunn said. "Oregon students are doing better on the basics.�� For the year 2000 Oregon assessments, students in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 were assessed in reading, writing and math. In addition, students in grades 5, 8, and 10 were tested in science and math problem solving. The math problem-solving test is a complicated process in which students are tested on their understanding of math concepts . Overall, tests reflect education reforms adopted 10 years ago by the state Legislature to increase academic demands on public school students. The tests lead to the examinations of 10th-graders for the Certificate of Initial Mastery, or CIM. In future years, Oregon high school students also will be expected to show advanced, specialized career skills for a Certificate of Advanced Mastery, the CAM. Although many students are missing the CIM mark, school administrators say the academic efforts and the tests that measure the results are still important to education. The standards give focus to curriculum planning, said Medford curriculum administrator Phil Long. "We�re working toward a goal,�� said Long. "I think you have to set goals. "It forces you to look at what you can do to help students achieve the goal. �� The state�s partial results leave out half of the CIM data, so it�s not yet possible to determine the percentage of high school students who earned the CIM this spring. Despite the incomplete data, educators welcomed the early release of at least some scores. In past years none of the results were released until September � too late, administrators have complained, to help them plan curriculum and class changes for fall. Scores represent a huge volume of important information about students, said Central Point Superintendent Candy Manary. Analyzing them and putting them to work in the classroom takes time. Manary, like Long and other school officials around the state, just received their copies of the numbers Wednesday afternoon � too soon, several said, to have opinions and comments on the meaning of the numbers. Long said Medford administrators will begin analyzing scores in August, with an eye toward adjusting curriculum. "We may adjust a few things, in the high school particularly," Long said. "I know our schools will want to be adjusting their school improvement plans if the data indicate that.�� From the Net: www.ode.state.or.us/asmt/results 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