Math and the Essential Skills

Home > Work Samples > Math and the Essential Skills

News Announcements

Thursday, 31 May 2012
Essential Skills Professional Development Materials Available

Essential Skills Requirement

In August 2009, the State Board voted to defer the proficiency requirement for the Essential Skill of “Apply mathematics in a variety of settings” for the purpose of receiving a high school diploma. OAR 581-022-0615: “Assessment of Essential Skills” now states that students first enrolled in the 9th grade in 2010 (the graduating class of 2014) will be required to demonstrate proficiency in the Essential Skill of “Apply mathematics in a variety of settings” in order to receive a high school diploma.

Essential Skills Assessment Options

The following table summarizes the approved assessment options for the Essential Skill of Mathematics available as of October 30, 2009 for the graduating class of 2014. Please note that while the State Board of Education may either raise or lower the achievement standards for future graduating classes, the achievement standards included in the table below are the established standards which will apply to the graduating class of 2014.

ASSESSMENT OPTIONS (Only One Assessment Is Required)	ACHIEVEMENT STANDARD
OAKS Mathematics	236
ACT	19
PLAN	19
Work Keys	5
Compass	66 (Intermediate Algebra Test)
ASSET	41 (Intermediate Algebra Test)
SAT	450
PSAT	45
Advanced Placement (AP) tests: • AP Statistics • AP Calculus AB • AP Calculus BC	3
International Baccalaureate (IB) tests: • IB Mathematics SL • IB Mathematics HL • IB Math Studies	4
2 Mathematics Work Samples (one each for two of the following: geometry, algebraic relationships, statistics/probability)	Score: 4 or higher in all five Process Dimensions. (Work samples are locally scored with the Official State Mathematics Problem Solving Scoring Guide)

Districts may choose to offer students only a subset of the approved assessment options. However, if a student chooses to use an approved assessment option that is not offered by the district, the district must accept that assessment option. For instance, if a district does not offer the ACT as an option for all of its students but an individual student chooses to take the ACT, the student may still use the ACT to meet an Essential Skill requirement. Similarly, if a student takes the ASSET while enrolled in one district and then transfers to another district that does not offer the ASSET, the student may still use the ASSET to meet an Essential Skills requirement.

Local Performance Assessment Requirement for Grades 3 – 8 and High School

OAR 581-022-0615: “Assessment of Essential Skills” requires school districts to administer an annual local performance assessment in the skill area of Mathematical Problem-Solving to students in grades 3 – 8 and once in high school. Districts may use either a work sample scored with the official state scoring guide or a comparable, locally developed measure to meet this requirement.

Resources

Oregon Diploma
Preparing each student for advanced learning, work and citizenship.

Assessment of Essential Skills
Essential Skills are process skills that can be applied in a variety of courses, subjects, experiences and settings. Beginning in 2012, students must demonstrate proficiency in identified essential skills.
Assessment of Essential Skills Review Panel (AESRP)
The Assessment of Essential Skills Review Panel is charged with responsibility to make recommendations to the State Board of Education on issues related to the assessment of essential skills for the purposes of granting a high school diploma.
Scoring Guides
A scoring guide is an assessment tool used to judge the quality of student performance in relation to content standards.

The Essential Skill of "Apply Math" 10/02/2012 (318.16 KB)
A brief summary of the Essential Skill of "Apply Math" and key implementation resources.

Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics Professional Development Cadre: Training Opportunities for 2012-2013.
Official Oregon Mathematics Problem Solving Scoring Guide, Common Core State Standards Mathematical Practices, or Custom-designed Training by PDC Members (http://www.octm.org/pdc/pdc-brunches/).