‘This isn’t normal’: Oregon students’ test scores continue to plateau

Published 2:37 pm Friday, October 4, 2024

Assessment data released by the Oregon Department of Education on Thursday, Oct. 3 paints a bleak picture of declining test scores.

The summative assessments in science, math and English language arts were taken in spring 2024, with tests issued to third through eighth graders and high school juniors.

Statewide, the assessment scores remain significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels, with only 31% of all Oregon students testing at proficiency in math, 43% in English and 29% in science.

During the 2018-19 school year, 46.5% of Oregon’s third graders tested as proficient in English; five years later in 2024 that percentage dropped to 39%. The story is the same for math — in 2018-19, 46.4% of third graders tested at proficiency, while in tests taken this year that number dropped five percentage points to 39.9%.

Students who participate in OSAS summative tests receive a score between 1-4. Students who score level 1 are below grade level, level 2 are at grade level and scores of 3 or higher represent proficiency in the subject area. The tests cover math, English and science.

“This is not where we want this. This isn’t normal. This is not where we want to be by any stretch of the imagination, and we are setting goals with districts,” said ODE Director Charlene Williams in a press release. “Between the next three to five years, they are setting learning and growth performance targets based on their data.”

ODE also provided information regarding the share of students at each grade level who scored at “Level 1,” or below grade level. For eighth graders, 43% performed below grade level in science, 51% in math and 34% in English. For third graders, 37% are below grade level in both English and math.

Since the 2022-23 school year, some improvements were made in math assessments. Oregon fifth, seventh and eighth graders saw significant improvements in their math scores.

Oregon is not alone in its struggle to catch up to pre-pandemic levels in standardized test scores. Every state experienced a decrease in average assessment scores for math and English between spring 2019 and 2022, according to a report co-authored by Harvard and Stanford Universities’ Education Recovery Scorecard. However, compared to every other state, Oregon was third last for improvement in reading test scores between 2019 and 2023.

Oregon was also the only state that failed to make any improvement in math scores between 2021-22 and 2022-23, a trend the state narrowly avoided repeating by making improving by 0.4 of a percentage point last spring.

“Every child deserves a high-quality, culturally responsive public education to be set up for success. I’m not satisfied with this year’s numbers,” Gov. Tina Kotek said in a press release. “We must double down on our commitment and collaboration to fix the gaps in our system that are failing students. I am focused on working with education partners across the whole system to identify evidence-based solutions, increase high-quality learning opportunities, and strengthen student wellbeing.”

ODE highlighted four key areas to help “accelerate learning” and improve English language arts proficiency: continued and increased investment in literacy, summer and afterschool learning, data-informed policy and practices, and accountability.

Oregon legislators passed the Early Literacy Success Initiative in 2023 and invested $90 million to close the gaps in reading and writing proficiency for underserved student groups. ODE is confident that these investments will make a difference in future English assessments for elementary and middle school students.

The release of OSAS scores precedes district “report cards” and AP scores released later in the fall.

“Every child deserves a high-quality, culturally responsive public education to be set up for success. I’m not satisfied with this year’s numbers.”

Gov. Tina Kotek