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Portland Public School students saw slight improvements in reading and pronounced growth in mathematics in districtwide fall assessments, according to data officials presented to the School Board on Dec. 16.
The assessments provide the most current glimpse into how students across the district are faring; Oregon state assessment results come out once a year for the previous school year.
From grades 3-8, 61.5% of students achieved at grade level or higher on the reading assessment, and 58.1% achieved that in math. That’s compared to 60.6% and 55.5%, respectively, in the previous academic year. (It should be noted that students in grades 6-8 saw significant improvement in math proficiency, while proficiency declined in grades 3-5.)
Achievement remains a mixed bag across racial demographics. Even with some improvements, white, Asian and Multi-racial students continue to outscore their Black, Latinx, Native American and Pacific Islander counterparts. For example, 74.4% of white students met grade level standards in math, compared to 21.6% of Black students, 36% of Latinx students, 20% of Native American students and 12.6% of Pacific Islander students.
Students with disabilities showed slight growth across reading and mathematics, at 37.6% and 32.6%, respectively. And multilingual learners displayed declining growth across both subjects, at 3.8% and 9.6%, respectively. (As WW has previously reported, these learners tend to have the poorest outcomes.)
Dr. Renard Adams, PPS’s chief accountability and equity officer, told board members that the trend of students with disabilities outperforming certain students of color is seemingly out of line with what other districts report. “That’s always been a curiosity of mine,” he said. “It is not keeping with my experience in some other districts.”
The district is using interventionalists across its schools to help bridge gaps, but early data indicates it may be too early to draw conclusions on that work. (District officials also indicated they’ll use results to evaluate if investments in science of reading training for teachers, currently underway, prove effective).
Because districtwide assessments don’t correspond unit to unit with students’ curriculum, PPS is also encouraging more curriculum-based assessments to monitor classroom instruction and drill down into more specifics. Adams said districtwide assessments are still important for offering a cohesive glimpse into student performance across students.
“[A districtwide assessment] doesn’t always tell you what exactly is wrong, or it can tell you something’s really right, but it may not tell you exactly what,” he said, adding it’s important to review results holistically with daily instruction.
