Schools’ and districts’ yearly report cards are online
The Oregon Department of Education released school and district report cards for 2016-17 on Thursday, Oct. 12.
The report cards include a letter from the principal or superintendent, data on the curriculum and learning environment, and state assessment data.
High school report cards present class size by subject, on-track performance measures, graduation and completion rates, dropout rates, and post-secondary enrollment rates. The data are broken out by student groups and grades.
District report cards also cover aspects such as student wellness policies, seismic safety ratings, teacher proficiency and racial equity in hiring. The report cards show per-pupil spending, expulsions and suspensions, and ratios of students’ race and ethnicities to teachers’ race and ethnicities.
The report cards show comparisons of schools with similar demographics and to state averages.
ODE is redesigning the report cards for 2018. ODE wants to create a two-page “at-a-glance” report, with additional measures available online. The reports will show schools’ and districts’ strengths and weaknesses. ODE says it wants families and communities to have more meaningful and actionable information.
ODE has convened an advisory group, is holding focus groups and is meeting with education partners. ODE’s report card redesign survey is open until Friday, Oct. 13.
- Jake Arnold, OSBA
jarnold@osba.org