State testing in schools refers to mandatory, standardized academic assessments given to students to measure their mastery of grade-level learning standards. Proficiency rates for Oregon students are slowly improving on state standardized tests, according to new data released Thursday by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE).
Statewide results from last school year show that slightly more students tested proficient on the three main tests. From students in third grade all the way to high school. The results show a 1.4 percentage point increase in math proficiency, a 0.8 percentage point increase in English Language Arts and a 0.6 percentage point increase in science, compared to last year.
Charlene Williams, ODE director, said in a press conference with reporters that the increase in state testing results were “encouraging”.
This increase includes Salem-Keizer. Student achievement increased across almost all grades in both English and math. Oregon’s second-largest district outpaced the state’s growth in both subjects. In third grade reading, 29.7% of Salem-Keizer students were rated proficient, up from 25.3% the year before. Across all grades, 34.5% of students tested proficient, which means students are demonstrating they have grade-level knowledge or higher. In math, about a quarter of Salem-Keizer students were proficient in math.
“If you see a Salem-Keizer student or a staff member this week, give them a high five,” Superintendent Andrea Castañeda said to reporters on a call with the OPB.
