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CLOUDY Temp: 45 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Wednesday, February 26, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend February 16, 2003 Campaign against CIM, CAM programs sputters A survey of local school districts estimated that program costs are much less than opponents suggest By DON JEPSEN for the Mail Tribune SALEM — A well-publicized attempt by Rep. Randy Miller, a Lake Oswego Republican, to get rid of the CIM and CAM programs in Oregon schools may be losing steam. Miller, co-chairman of the Joint Ways and Means Committee, has argued the state can’t afford the millions of dollars it takes to run the assessment program. Estimates have fluctuated wildly, reaching as high as $500 million. However, at a hearing last week, the Confederation of School Administrators said a survey of local school districts put the amount at around $6 million to implement the Certificate of Initial Mastery and another $4 million-plus to get the Certificate of Advanced Mastery up and running. Juli Di Chiro, superintendent of the Ashland School District, did not participate in the survey. The Medford School District did, but its estimate was not received in time to be included in COSA’s survey. "It would take me more time to figure out what we spent than the effort was worth," Di Chiro said. CIM and CAM were established a decade ago to provide a framework for measuring students’ academic process. The CIM is in place, with about 26 percent of Oregon students completing the program, but CAM has been pushed back to 2006. Phil Long, director of curriculum and instruction for the Medford School District, and Di Chiro praised the CIM program. "Because of CIM, our students are better in core academic areas than they were 10 years ago," said Long. "We have it in our system," Di Chiro said. "It is working." She said she was "strongly supportive" of setting performance-based standards in which to measure student progress. Miller, who once introduced a bill to scrap the Oregon Bar Association examination, may be softening a little on CIM-CAM. "I want (the program) as we know it eliminated," he said. And, he said, legislators should get input not only from educators, "but from the ultimate consumers, the students." That is exactly what Rep. Vic Backlund, R-Keizer, the influential chairman of the House Education Committee, is planning. A former high school teacher and coach, Backlund has drafted a bill that will be introduced this week. He has already scheduled a hearing for Wednesday. Key elements are: Reduce the CIM subject areas to reading, writing, speaking, mathematics and science. That would make it consistent with the federal "No Child Left Behind" initiative to assess student progress in elementary and middle school. Current CIM requirements that students meet benchmarks in art, physical education and a second language would be optional. Eliminate student portfolios. That provision is optional, but Backlund said many school districts aren’t aware of that. Portfolios have drawn much of the criticism in the CIM program. "If teachers are spending a lot of time that is being used to no good purpose, why should we have portfolios?" Backlund said. Delay any action to revise the CAM component. The Keizer legislator already has held informational meetings on his proposal to scale back CIM requirements. He stressed that when the hearings begin, he hopes to get testimony from students and parents as well as educators. Gov. Ted Kulongoski, in a speech in Corvallis, also weighed in on the controversy. "CIM and CAM may turn out to be a victim of the Legislature’s attempt to save money," he said. "Perhaps it will survive, but its chances would be much improved if it came from citizens instead of being imposed on citizens." Don Jepsen is a free-lance writer living in Salem. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S