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There's nothing CIM-ple about it Photo by Bob Pennell South Medford High School Students (clockwise from top) Lexi Smith, Justin Poplin and Pat Read study for their CIM math test. The new certificates will someday replace grades and diplomas, many educators say. Schools want students ready for state tests By VICKI GUARINO Medford high school students are giving up electives to read novels. Central Point students spend their spare time at computers, solving rapid-fire equations -- sometimes for hours on end. Ashland choral students do more than sing for their grades; they have to write term papers as well. Students are taking on these unaccustomed assignments to prepare for a new set of tests measuring their knowledge and skill. Passing the battery of tests, which begins at the end of January and runs through mid-March, won't lead to an A grade or a diploma, but to a Certificate of Initial Mastery, the CIM. Someday, many educators say, the CIM and later the Certificate of Advanced Mastery, the CAM, will replace the grades and the diploma. But for now, schools are focusing on this winter, when 10th-graders for the first time will be expected to earn a CIM. Past years' tests have been trial runs, rehearsals for this year's premiere. So at South Medford High School, there are two new electives -- CIM classes -- that bend the traditional definition of elective. They are tutorials in reading and math, and they aren't exactly optional. "They made me take it," says freshman Olivia Wybenga. She says she had wanted to take choir, but is happy now with the CIM class. "I'm a better reader," she says, "I'm reading faster and it's a lot of fun." The CIM classes target 150 freshmen and sophomores who are close, some very close, to passing CIM tests. Administrators determine students' proximity to the state-set benchmark by studying scores from previous tests. These scores aren't a number or two. They are rows and columns of numbers that go far beyond recording a right or wrong answer. These tests show, for instance, that a particular student excels in understanding algebra but lacks the ability to adequately verify answers. The CIM classes, small groups in adjoining classrooms, are closely tailored to those needs. For that reason, they are not considered remedial classes, and most students enrolled already are earning A's and B's. Crater High School is offering something similar to CIM classes, investing in new CIM-based software to tutor students. Principal Ron Williams says the goal is to give students practice, lots of practice. Kids drill on math problems and writing projects. Software detects weaknesses and subsequently brings up problems to address those shortcomings. "They do much more so much faster than they have in the past," Williams says. Early indications are that the drills are working. Crater launched the program during summer school and results were noted when classes resumed in the fall. "We had students who were gaining a couple of years," Williams says. "A couple of years -- that is really amazing." The special classes accompany a rewriting and reorganization of curriculum that has encompassed all grades in all school districts. Aligning curriculum to the CIM standards is crucial to having students perform well on CIM tests, says Ashland Principal Julie Reynolds. In state test scores last year, Ashland 10th-graders scored highest among Jackson County high schools: 53 percent met or exceeded the state benchmark in math; 78 percent met or exceeded the benchmark in reading. The emphasis in Ashland has been on drawing teachers together across teaching disciplines. Math teachers, for example, have been involved in developing the reading curriculum. Teachers of elective classes such as the fine arts have been brought into the fold as well. The intent is to bolster students' experience and practice in the core skills tested in CIM and still keep elective programs at a period when schools are scraping for resources. "We want to preserve electives," Reynolds says. "Those are the things our kids love and have a passion for. That is what gives our kids the incentive to learn." So Ashland choral music teacher Russ Otte spends a day off grading term papers. This is the first time in 23 years of teaching music that he has ever assigned a paper. Otte says the assignment is valuable to CIM-seeking students, but he worries that a term paper will make chorus too much like any other class and ultimately discourage students. Many griped about the paper, he says, and some of the highest academic achievers complained that they spent 10 hours or more on the work. "I may have pushed it over the edge this semester," Otte says, but adds, "That's part of the ongoing experiment." Much is uncertain about CIM and the reforms the test has brought. Revamping curriculum and staffing programs in an effort to match the state's demands have been especially taxing for smaller schools. Rogue River nearly lost its yearbook program this year because of curriculum shuffling. No teacher had time for it anymore. The community's newspaper, however, stepped in just as school was starting this fall to take over the project as an after-school, career-building activity. In addition, Rogue River's program for talented and gifted students lost its coordinator to other curriculum demands. In the county's smallest high school, Prospect, the struggle is greater to cover the CIM basics and preserve programs such as art for the school's 66 students. "We have students who need those electives," says Principal Don Alexander, who also is Prospect's superintendent. Prospect has received some grants to work on CIM curriculum changes, but Alexander says the district will need more money for programs like CIM classes. The demands CIM reforms are putting on schools can be seen through students' test scores. Ashland's scores top others in the county, but they also show how much more all schools will have to do to meet the state standard. "This is our transition year," says South Assistant Principal Jani Hale. "We're going to take our pulse at the end of the year and see how we're doing. The test scores will tell us." Sophomores who don't make the grade this winter will get more coaching and more chances to take the tests. The uncertainty of the process, however, is taking a toll on some students. South CIM class sophomore Pat Read voices the frustration and apprehension common among high schoolers. "I could get an A in math and still flunk the CIM test," he points out. Classmate Allysa Payne worries, "If I don't pass it, am I going to graduate?" Several classmates say they are benefiting from the extra attention the CIM is affording them, but say teachers, not a battery of tests, should measure their abilities. "The class is good, but the CIM isn't," Read says. For now, local high schools are not making the CIM a graduation requirement. Some teachers, such as North Medford math teacher Linda Bradshaw, say students won't start taking the CIM seriously until it becomes a requirement. Until then, Bradshaw is among the many educators who say they welcome the changes CIM has brought. Teachers are working together more closely for students' best interests, they say, and getting through high school is starting to mean more than spending a minimum number of hours in class. As for the test process, Hale and other educators reject the notion that they're simply creating a bunch of good test-takers. "This is not just about scores," she says. "It's about proficiency. It is about having proficient skills." Questions, answers about new standards The new student performance standards stem from the state Legislature's 1991 Oregon Education Act for the 21st Century. High school students are to prove their academic skills to earn first the Certificate of Initial Mastery, or CIM, and later the Certificate of Advanced Mastery, the CAM. Guidelines and requirements for the CAM haven't been nailed down yet, and neither have all the specifications for the CIM. The CIM, therefore, is being phased in over several years. This year for the first time, 10th-graders will be expected to meet CIM standards in reading, writing, speaking and math. State tests in previous years have been trial runs to fine-tune the tests and indicate to educators what areas of instruction need work. Some commonly asked questions: Q : Is the CIM required for a diploma? A : So far only one district, in the Portland area, is making CIM a requirement. Central Point comes close, however. Administrators will require passage of the CIM, but will accept slightly lower passing scores than the state demands. In Central Point and elsewhere, administrators say students need more time to meet the new standards, which are far more demanding than anything in the past. Preparation has involved major curriculum changes at all grade levels. Q : If it is not required, why should anyone care? A : Most educators predict that CIM/CAM will become the new -- and better -- standard for measuring high school performance. The standards will tell and show more about a student's skills and abilities. State universities will shape admission requirements around the certificates, and employers will replace diploma requirements with CIM/CAM requirements. Q : What happens to the kids who fail? A: First, they'll get extra help and retake the tests. Also, state officials have said they are preparing to issue certificates showing exactly what a student has achieved. Most high schools are planning now to continue issuing diplomas to students who meet the basic course credit requirements. Q : What about the Certificate of Advanced Mastery, the CAM? A : CAM will be the award given to students who have met 12th-grade standards on state tests and classroom assignments in English, math, science, social sciences, the arts and a second language, and have met career-related learning goals. Skills include problem-solving, working in teams and practical work habits such as being on time, dependable and disciplined. Students are to choose from a broad area of career interests for a context for their academic program. Students will pick from: arts and communications, business and management, natural resource systems, industrial and engineering systems, human resources and health services. The CAM is scheduled to be implemented in the 2004-05 school year. More questions? More answers and information are available in "Seeds of Change: The Oregon Schools Initiative," a booklet produced by the Oregon Department of Education. The publication and other information is available from the department. Department staff member Marilyn Husser handles inquiries for Jackson, Josephine and Klamath counties. Call her at (503) 378-8004, Ext. 250; e-mail her at: [email protected] Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA