Written by: Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic 

Averages rise one percent; local schools see improvements

The Oregon Department of Education released the results of last year’s Smarter Balanced year-end tests in early September and the state saw small gains overall, but fell short when it came to the overall percentage of students who demonstrated proficiency in three core subjects, according to the more rigorous Common Core state standards adopted in 2014-2015.

The percentage of students in the state that scored a 3 or 4 on the assessments rose by 1 percent in each subject from 2014-2015 to 2015-2016, reaching 55 percent English language arts, 42 percent in math and 64 percent in science, but those rates are still considered low and more improvement was expected considering it was the second year of the new tests.

“Looking at the work our secondary teams are taking on,  I feel confident that the aggressive gains are coming.”

— Newberg superintendent Kim LeBlanc-Esparza

Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Salem Noor emphasized the positive in the results, noting the across-the-board progress overall and gains made by groups that have historically performed at lower levels than their peers, specifically students with disabilities, students living in poverty and English learners.

“This progress reflects the dedication and hard work by our students and educators to meet higher standards as we aim to ensure all students in Oregon are successfully prepared for their next steps,” Noor said.

Both local public school districts exceeded the overall state averages, with St. Paul greatly outperforming them in some cases, while Newberg slightly outpaced them and matched the state’s mostly flat rate of improvement.

The percentage of St. Paul students in all grades that met expectations fell in English (from 64.4 to 59.5) and science (67.2 to 62.3), but rose slightly in math (52.1 to 52.4). Its rates for grades 7-12 were strong, especially in high school.

St. Paul High School ranked fourth in the state for highest percentage of 11th grade students (the only grade that takes the test) to meet state standards in English at 92 (up from 80 percent in 2014-2015), which far outstripped the state average of 69.

The high school’s passing rate in math rose from 44.8 to 48 percent, which was still well above the 11th-grade average of 33 percent. The rate passing in science fell from 70 to 64, but was still five points higher than the statewide average.

St. Paul middle school’s eighth grade students also posted the fourth highest passing rate in math at 72 percent.

“For us, the second year was a really strong year,” St. Paul Superintendent Joe Wehrli said. “Grade seven through 12 we performed better than we did last year and last year was great results, so we’re very pleased with that.”

St. Paul Elementary School did receive some discouraging results for certain grade levels in English and math, as just 33 percent of third grade students and 31 percent of fourth grade students met standards in English, and 25 percent of fourth grade students passed in math.

Wehrli notes that the margin for error with class sizes as small as St. Paul’s can be as high as 20 to 30 percent, which is why he also converts Smarter Balanced scores to the RIT Scale (which takes the difficulty of the question into account) and looks at median growth by cohort from year to year.

“We look at the whole group and did they show a year’s growth,” Wehrli said. “That’s what we’re really looking for and we did see that in most of our classes.”

Among its results, the Newberg School District highlighted significant growth in elementary reading and math, as Edwards and Dundee both posted nearly 12 percent increases. As a district, Newberg third grade students passed reading at a 63 percent clip, which ranked ninth overall in the state.

“The work over the last two years in our elementary schools is clearly showing in our data,” Superintendent Kym LeBlanc-Esparza said. “Our elementary schools show what great results come when we align our practice, focus on the success of every student and support each other in our professional growth.”

Overall, Newberg’s passing rates were essentially flat, but still slightly outpaced the state averages, as 60.1 percent of students passed in English, 43.7 percent passed math and 66.8 percent passed science.

At Newberg High School, which includes results from the district’s alternative Catalyst program, 73.4 percent of 11th grade students (down from 79.3) were proficient in English, but just 35.6 percent (up from 34.1) passed in math and 48.7 percent (down from 50.7) met expectations in science.

LeBlanc-Esparza said that the district (and state) must do better in math, but noted that changes to teaching practices and adoption of newer materials have only been in place for a year to 18 months at the secondary level.

“Looking at the work our secondary teams are taking on, I feel confident that the aggressive gains are coming,” LeBlanc-Esparza said. “While we all would admit we still have work to do, we are an innovative district on the move.”

Both LeBlanc-Esparza and Wehrli said the state test results are important in shaping both how teachers approach learning with individual students and how the districts assess themselves and make plans for improvement, but stress they are only one factor in those decisions.

“I am of the belief that if you give kids great, dynamic, real world experiences in their learning, they are motivated to learn, they work hard and they are able to apply what they learn in any context,” LeBlanc-Esparza said. “When this happens, it is reflected in your student achievement data.”