Redesigned ‘Oregon Report Cards’ due this fall

The State Board of Education in a unanimous vote Thursday formally adopted new Oregon Report Cards for release this fall.

These Report Cards, produced for every school and district in the state, provide key information to parents and community members about school and district demographics, achievement, and growth. The Report Cards were redesigned this year as part of Oregon’s federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility waiver.

“Actively engaging our communities in discussions about school successes and challenges is of utmost importance,” said State Board Chair Artemio Paz, Jr. “These new reports will provide better, clearer, and more relevant information on school performance to our parents, community members, and the education enterprise as a whole and will start to tell the stories about what is going on in our schools. This is a valuable tool to reflect growth and proficiency in our schools and districts.”

Last fall, a 17-member Report Card Steering Committee was brought together to make recommendations on the design, content, and rating methodology for a new annual report card for Oregon schools and district.

Goals for the new Report Cards included a) aligning with achievement compacts; b) more accurately reflecting student growth; and c) incorporating important measures of college and career readiness necessary to move the state toward its ultimate 40/40/20 Goal.

“The new Report Card will help communities understand and support their schools,” said Steering Committee Co-Chair and Salem-Keizer Superintendent Sandy Husk. “The committee based its work on extensive input from citizens and educators. That input guided the decisions about what information to present and how to present it. I think the result is a user-friendly document that tells what’s working, what needs improvement and how parents and citizens can help.”

The Steering Committee gathered feedback from stakeholders around the state via parent, teacher, and administrator focus groups with over 130 people and state-wide surveys that received over 2,000 responses. This community outreach was made possible through the support of the Governor’s Office and funding from the Oregon Community Foundation.

“I want to commend the Steering Committee for their excellent work on this project and for their strong commitment to community involvement in this redesign effort,” said Deputy Superintendent Rob Saxton. “I believe that the final product will not only convey better information about our schools but that it will spark important conversations about education, student and school performance, and how we move the dial for kids.”

The new Report Cards will include:

Letter from the principal or superintendent
School or District profile
Overall rating
Academic progress over time
Outcomes by student group
Information on curriculum and learning environment

For more information on the new Oregon Report Card redesign, go to: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=3881. There, you will find the Report Card Steering Committee Final Report, as well as the elementary, middle, high school and district report card prototypes. While a few small changes will be made to these prototypes before the fall release, these prototypes provide a preview of what parents can expect to see this fall. School and District Report Cards for the 2012-13 school year will be released on October 10.

In addition to the main school and district Report Cards, a detailed report based on the school rating methodology used last summer to identify Priority, Focus, and Model schools will be produced for each school. Additional information on school and district performance will be available online in October.