Lincoln County students make small gains in test scores but results still below Oregon’s pre-pandemic level

By SHAYLA ESCUDERO/ Lincoln Chronicle

Students in Oregon’s public schools are having difficulty grasping key subjects and although they’ve made incremental improvement, it’s a slow walk to post-pandemic recovery – and Lincoln County’s schools have especially large gaps to fill.

Each year, Oregon students in grades three through eight and grade 11 take statewide tests in English and math to help measure the effectiveness of teaching on their learning. Third, eighth and 11th graders also take a science exam.

The Oregon Department of Education released its yearly “report cards” on Thursday designed to show if students are performing at grade-level standards and if high school students are ready for college or careers.

Overall, Oregon schools are improving – but at a sluggish pace and they still haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels.

The state exams measure proficiency – the percentage of students meeting grade-level standards consistently, equating to an A or B grade on a report card.

The newest data shows that 43.3 percent of students statewide are proficient in English language arts, a 0.8 increase from last year. But the numbers still fall behind pre-pandemic proficiency by about 8 percentage points.

This year Oregon students were 34.1 percent proficient in math, which is 1.4 percentage points higher than last year but still trails behind 2019’s scores by about 6 percentage points.

While students made incremental improvements in math and English, the results are a far cry from targets the state expects to reach by the 2029-30 school year. Gov. Tina Kotek’s education reform legislation calls for 52 percent of the state’s eighth graders to be working at or above grade level in math and nearly 53 percent of the state’s third graders to hit proficiency in reading that year.

School districts are expected to meet performance targets set by the state in the 2029-30 school year, but Oregon’s policy that allows students to opt out of these tests makes it so many school districts don’t have the participation numbers necessary to generate accurate data about how students are performing on statewide assessments.

Still, Oregon Department of Education officials see this year’s test scores as a sign of positive growth.

“These results give us reason to be encouraged, but also reinforce how much more there is to accomplish,” said Charlene Williams, ODE’s director. “Our responsibility is to understand what is working, support educators and districts in implementing those practices well and stay focused on sustained progress for every student.”

Lincoln County results 

Like the rest of the state, students in the Lincoln County School District showed incremental improvements from last year’s scores.

Proficiency increased by 2.2 percentage points in English, 0.8 percentage points in math, and 2.9 percentage points in science. They had smaller gains in math than statewide trends but are making more progress in English and science.

“We are really happy with the growth in our science scores, which I think we can attribute to our science partners,” Superintendent Majalise Tolan told the Lincoln Chronicle. Schools partner with various agencies and organizations including Yakona Nature Preserve, the Hatfield Marine Science Center, and the Oregon Coast Aquarium for hands-on learning.

In Lincoln County, 34.4 percent of students were proficient in English, 20.2 percent were proficient in math, and 24.1 percent were proficient in science – bringing up the rear in Oregon’s scores. The district is 8.9 percentage points below the statewide proficiency in English and 13.9 percentage points below in math.

Some of the lowest test scores in the state came from Lincoln County schools. Only 17.9 percent of Toledo Elementary School students were proficient in English while just 7.2 percent of Toledo Junior High students were proficient in math.

In light of those scores, there will be increased coaching to support learning in Toledo’s schools – support that hasn’t been in place at those schools, Tolan said.

Increasing test participation is also important to get more accurate data. During this week’s Lincoln County school board meeting, school leaders at Taft 7-12 spoke about the importance of getting the message out about the importance of taking the standardized tests even though there is an option to opt out.

Last year, the district made their test scores and benchmarks a part of the monthly school board packet – a practice that Tolan says encourages transparency and openness about where the district is at and where it needs to improve. The data also allows schools to see what grade levels may need more targeted support.

Lincoln County’s sixth graders scored 4.8 percentage points lower than last year in English and 0.8 percentage points lower in math. Seventh graders taking the math exam scored 5.9 percentage points lower than the previous year and eleventh graders scored 0.7 percentage points lower in English and 2.1 percentage points lower in math.

Lincoln County’s eighth graders showed the strongest overall improvement, with gains in English language arts, mathematics and science. The largest increase was in eighth grade English language arts, which rose 9 percentage points.

Not every Lincoln County school is falling behind. Several schools are exceeding statewide grade level averages, including Waldport Middle/High School, Crestview Heights School and Newport High School. Waldport Middle/High School students produced some of the highest English test scores in the state, with 86 percent of students scoring proficient.

“The growth reflects the consistent work our teachers are doing every day, looking closely at student data, adjusting instruction, providing targeted support, and continuing to strengthen reading and math instruction,” Sandy Mummey, the district’s director of elementary education said in a press release Thursday.

“We’re proud of the progress, while also recognizing the areas where we still have work to do. Our goal is to keep building on what’s working and make sure every student has the support they need to be successful.”

• Shayla Escudero is an enterprise reporter for the Lincoln Chronicle covering local governments, education, housing and social services and can be reached at [email protected]