Statewide Report Card Provides Education Data and Trends

For immediate release
contact Christine Miles, 503-947-5637

November 30, 2011

Statewide Report Card Provides Education Data and Trends

Annual Report Card offers state-level snapshot of K-12 public education system

(Salem, Ore.) – State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo today announced the release of the 2010-11 Oregon Statewide Report Card. This annual publication contains key data, trends, and demographics on Oregon’s K-12 public education system.

“The Annual Statewide Report Card provides a wealth of information about education in our state and serves as a valuable resource for anyone wanting to better understand educational trends, issues or data,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Castillo. “Each year, we produce a number of reports, releases, and ratings of Oregon public schools, but this report card is the place where we bring it all together, providing a more comprehensive, state-level picture of K-12 education.”

The 2010-11 Statewide Report Card includes:

Student demographics
School staff information
State and national assessment results
Dropout and graduation rates
Charter school data
Early childhood data
Alternative education information
Public school funding information

“I hope the information in this report will not only answer questions, but raise new ones—not only provide data, but spark conversations,” said Superintendent Castillo.

The following are a few highlights of new educational standards and accomplishments from Oregon’s Statewide Report Card.

Highlights of the 2010-11 School Year

This past year, the Oregon State Board of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards—rigorous, national learning expectations aligned with international standards. These common standards will provide a level playing field across the country and will prepare Oregon students to compete, not just here in Oregon, but nationally and internationally as well. Oregon is one of more than 45 states to adopt these standards and over the coming years, we will be phasing them into classroom instruction. Oregon is also helping to lead the work in the development of national assessments designed to test students on these new standards.

In October 2010, the State Board of Education adopted higher expectations for elementary and middle school students in math. This change aligned Oregon’s math standards with rigorous national and international expectations and provides students, parents, and teachers with better information about how prepared students are to meet Oregon’s high school diploma requirements. As predicted, the increase in the math achievement standards resulted in fewer students meeting state math standards this year. However, when we compare student achievement on the old standards, the growth in student learning is evident.

Federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets increased substantially from last year and despite strong gains in student achievement, fewer schools met this higher bar. The state’s increased math expectations also impacted the percent of schools meeting AYP. Fifty-four percent of Oregon schools met AYP targets this year, down from seventy-one percent last year

Oregon students continued to perform above the national average on the SAT and ACT. Increasing numbers of Oregon students, including increasing numbers of minority and low income students, are taking these college entrance tests.

“Please join me, my agency, and educators across the state as we continue our work to support success for every student, every day,” said Superintendent Castillo. “Working together, we can and we must build the 21st century education system our students deserve.”

A copy of the Annual Statewide Report Card can be found on the Oregon Department of Education website at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1821.

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Susan Castillo, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Christine Miles, Communications Director, Telephone (503) 947-5637
http://www.ode.state.or.us

Oregon Department of Education News Releases contain information that was originally released to the press as an official release. Refer to each News Release for the details.