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Do you have better answer? Does anyone else have a better answer? Does anyone else have an answer better than the answers I already have, we have? Choosing a Quality High School: Seven Questions You Should Ask Are the principal and teachers willing to discuss the curriculum? Have any teachers gotten individual classroom grants? Is there an Advanced Placement program? What percentage of graduating seniors go on to college? Are teachers computer literate? In what ways is technology integrated into classwork? Are they working with the new International standards? Do you have better recommendations? Why haven't other schools, colleges, education departments displayed their curriculum? What are they trying to hide? Are the objectives stated clearly? Are the instructional strategies appropriate? Do other strategies exist that can also help meet the objectives? Have materials been properly distributed? What is the evidence of student academic success? Are there clear goals for learning? Is family involvement encouraged? Does the curriculum encourage training for staff? What is good character? What is good behavior? What is the difference between good character and good behavior? What is a Curriculum Management Audit? Who conducted the audit? What areas did the audit examine? How much did the audit cost? or How much will it cost? What other districts have requested curriculum management audits? What will the district do with the information in the audit? How will the audit impact learning and teaching?
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What are the Common Curriculum Goals?
Can school districts design their own curriculum?
What are the content standards?
How do the Common Curriculum Goals and the content standards relate?
What are the benchmarks?
How do the content standards and the benchmarks relate?
Who is responsible for getting students to the benchmark expectations?
How will the benchmark expectations be assessed?
What are the state assessments?
What are local assessments?
Can local assessments be regular classroom assignments?
What are performance standards?
Can students who fail to meet the standards on state tests retake the tests?
What happens to students who do not meet the standards?
How are the state tests developed?
How can I help my students prepare for state tests?
How are the state multiple choice tests scored?
How are state writing tests scored?
How are state open-ended mathematics tests scored?
How can I help my students prepare for local assessments?
How many work samples are needed for each content area?
How will students with disabilities be accommodated in the assessment process?
Will such things as standardized tests, grades and diplomas be eliminated?
I would like more information about tests. Who should I call?
When will the Certificate of Initial Mastery be implemented?
When will students be responsible for the new standards?
What must students do to earn a Certificate of Initial Mastery when it is fully implemented in 2002-2003?
Given that second language proficiency does not become required for the Certificate of Initial Mastery until 2002-2003, what should schools and districts do now to prepare?
What must students do to earn a Certificate of Advanced Mastery?
What are the career-related learning standards?
What is an endorsement area?
What are the six endorsement areas identified by the state?
What are career-related learning experiences?
What role does contextual teaching and curriculum integration play in the Certificate of Advanced Mastery?
How will the Certificate of Advanced Mastery be assessed?
What is the endorsement credential?
What is the role of career development and guidance in the Certificate of Advanced Mastery?
How does professional technical education relate to the Certificate of Advanced Mastery?
How does school-to-work relate to the Certificate of Advanced Mastery?
Will the Certificate of Advanced Mastery align with admissions standards and program requirements at Oregon community colleges and four-year colleges and universities?
Curriculum
Q What are the Common Curriculum Goals?
The Common Curriculum Goals describe what districts will offer in a comprehensive K-12 curriculum. They contain content standards in English, mathematics, science, the social sciences (history, civics, geography, economics), the arts and second languages; curriculum goals in health education, physical education, technology; and the essential learning skills.
The Common Curriculum Goals are not course titles. Decisions about what courses to teach and what curriculum to include in courses are local decisions.
Q Can school districts design their own curriculum?
Yes. Schools and districts may develop their own curriculum in addition to the statewide goals.
Q What are the content standards?
The content standards are the portion of the Common Curriculum Goals related to the statewide assessment and the Certificates of Initial and Advanced Mastery. Oregon's Educational Act for the 21st Century lists the areas where content standards are to be set: English, mathematics, science, the social sciences (history, civics, geography and economics), the arts and second languages.
Q How do the Common Curriculum Goals and the content standards relate?
The Common Curriculum Goals describe what districts should offer in a comprehensive K-12 curriculum. The content standards are the portion of the Common Curriculum Goals related to the statewide assessment and the Certificates of Initial and Advanced Mastery.
Assessment
Q What are the benchmarks?
The benchmarks are the portion of the content standards to be assessed statewide at a particular grade level-3, 5, 8, 10 or 12.
Q How do the content standards and the benchmarks relate?
The content standards identify the curriculum areas where statewide assessment will occur. The benchmarks more specifically describe what will be assessed statewide at a particular grade level-3, 5, 8, 10 or 12.
Q Who is responsible for getting students to the benchmark expectations?
Teachers in grades leading up to a benchmark year will all work toward helping students achieve benchmark expectations. For example, K-3 teachers may work together as a team to prepare students for the grade 3 benchmarks. Teachers in grades 4 and 5 may work together to help students achieve the grade 5 benchmarks, and so on. The benchmark expectations are not solely the responsibility of teachers in grades 3, 5, 8, 10 and 12. All teachers will help students prepare for the benchmark expectations.
Q How will the benchmark expectations be assessed?
The benchmark expectations in reading/literature, writing, mathematics, science and the social sciences will be measured through state and local assessments. The benchmark expectations in speaking, the arts and second languages will be measured through local assessments only.
Q What are the state assessments?
The state assessments are standardized, criterion-referenced state tests in English, mathematics, science and the social sciences. They contain multiple choice, essay and mathematics problem-solving questions. There will be no state tests in the arts and second languages. The tests will be phased in according to the following schedule:
1996-97
English, mathematics
1997-98
English, mathematics, science
1998-99 and subsequent years
English, mathematics, science, social sciences
Q What are local assessments?
The nature of local assessments will vary. However, local assessments in English, mathematics, science and the social sciences will be scored using the same state scoring guides. Local districts will develop assessments in the arts and second languages.
Q Can local assessments be regular classroom assignments?
Yes. Student work produced for regular classroom assignments may be used as local assessments if the work is complex enough to be scored on the relevant scoring guide. The chart on the next page shows the number of classroom assignments, or work samples, required at grades 3, 5, 8 and 10.
Q What are performance standards?
Performance standards define the number, type and minimum scores required on state and local assessments.
Q Can students who fail to meet the standards on state tests retake the tests?
Yes. Beginning in 1998-99, the Department will provide districts with follow-up tests to give to students who do not meet the standards at grades 3, 5 or 8. Districts may give the follow-up tests to students when they think the students are ready. Beginning in 1998-99, there will be at least three opportunities a year for students to take the grade 10 state tests. Each re-examination will contain a different set of items but will assess the same knowledge and skills.
Q What happens to students who do not meet the standards?
Students will have multiple opportunities to be assessed to be successful. Time is their ally. If they do not achieve the standards the first time, they may receive additional help. Additional help may be anything from an extension of time on a task, to a mentor, to different materials-all within the same peer group or classroom. In the unlikely event that different teaching strategies do not help a student, a student could transfer to another school or district, provided both districts agree.
Q How are the state tests developed?
Panels of Oregon teachers direct a research and development company in developing the test. There are five panels, each developing tests in reading, writing, mathematics, science and the social sciences. There are at least 36 Oregon teachers on each panel. They have expertise in the subject area, may be affiliated with related professional organizations, reflect the geographic and ethnic diversity of the state and represent school districts of all sizes. The Oregon Department of Education is always looking for teachers to serve on the content panels to help develop state tests. If you would like to serve on a content panel, contact the Department of Education's assessment office at (503) 378-5585.
Q How can I help my students prepare for state tests?
This spring, state tests will assess students in reading/literature, writing and mathematics. The chart below shows the test dates.
* Mathematics
October 1996, the department mailed to every school in the state a teacher support package for mathematics, containing examples of problems from state mathematics tests and other information to help students achieve benchmark expectations in mathematics. Ask your principal for a copy or request one for $4 from the Oregon Department of Education, 255 Capitol Street NE, Salem 97310-0203. Make the check payable to the Oregon Department of Education and send it to the attention of the documents clerk. The department also mailed to every school packets of sample state mathematics tests.
* Reading
In December 1996 the department mailed to every school packets of sample state reading tests.
* Writing
The department is preparing a teacher support packet for writing assessments-similar to the teacher support package for mathematics.
* Science
The state science test will begin in the spring of 1998 and will be required for the Certificate of Initial Mastery in the spring of 2000. More information on the state science assessment will be provided in the 1997-98 school year.
* Social Sciences
The state social sciences assessment will begin in the spring of 1999 and will be required for the Certificate of Initial Mastery in the spring of 2001. More information on the state social sciences assessment will be provided in the 1998-99 school year.
It is important to keep in mind that state tests are designed primarily to provide information about where students may need special help. Armed with information gathered from the test, teachers can develop a plan to address student weaknesses. Students who do not meet or who exceed all of the standards at grades 3, 5, 8 or 10 are eligible for additional services or alternative education.
Q How are the state multiple choice tests scored?
There are four different versions of each state multiple choice test to provide greater test security and more feedback to schools. Student answer sheets are scanned by computer at a testing company hired by the department to score the tests. The computer scan checks whether test markings are accurate. An unusually high number of erasures, for example, may indicate test tampering. The scanned results then are scored against the appropriate answer key. Comparing the scan results with the answer key nets a raw score. The testing company then uses a table to convert the raw score to a scale score (called a Rasch Unit or RIT). The scale used on the statewide assessment is similar to the scale used in the Scholastic Assessment Test and American College Testing entrance exams.
Q How are state writing tests scored?
About 1,000 Oregon classroom teachers gather for six days at 16 or more sites around the state to score the state writing tests. Two teachers independently read and score each student paper. If scores given by the first two teachers differ by more than one point, a third teacher reads and scores the paper.
Q How are state open-ended mathematics tests scored?
The open-ended mathematics tests, so called because they require students to show their work and explain their answers, are scored in the same way as the state writing tests. A group of teachers gathers to score the tests. Two teachers independently read and score each test. A third teacher is used to resolve scoring discrepancies. The Department of Education is always looking for teachers to help score the state writing and open-ended mathematics tests. The department provides two days of training at the scoring sites before the four days of scoring begins. Most of the work occurs during evenings, weekends and school holidays. If you would like to help score the tests, contact the Department of Education's assessment office at (503) 378-5585.
Q How can I help my students prepare for local assessments?
Local assessments will be given in reading/literature, writing, speaking and mathematics, beginning in the 1996-97 school year. Last September, the department mailed to every education service district a packet of materials regarding instruction and assessment in speaking. The packet contains written information and a videotape of student speeches. To read the written materials and view the videotape, call your education service district. Many districts already are developing procedures for local assessments in speaking and other areas. Check with your district office to find out about the status of this work.
Q How many work samples are needed for each content area?
The chart above shows how many work samples students need to produce at each grade level in each content area. Completed, scored student work may be kept together in any fashion, from a portfolio to a file folder or other system, as determined at the local level. Work samples do not have to be produced in the benchmark years but must reflect work appropriate to that level. Panels of teachers will help the Department of Education develop guidelines regarding what types of assignments would produce appropriate work samples, how to score work samples and other tips for teachers.
Q How will students with disabilities be accommodated in the assessment process?
There will be modifications and interventions for students who do not meet the benchmark expectations. Students with special needs will be accommodated according to their individual education plan.
Q Will such things as standardized tests, grades and diplomas be eliminated?
No. Districts are required to continue to issue grades and diplomas. State tests are standardized. Of course, districts may give students other standardized tests. Some use standardized tests produced by textbook publishing companies and sold to schools, school districts and states around the country. These tests contain standardized questions that may not necessarily reflect Oregon curriculum. Local schools and school districts decide whether to buy the tests.
Q I would like more information about tests. Who should I call?
For more information about student testing, please see the list of assessment specialists.
Certificate of Initial Mastery
Q When will the Certificate of Initial Mastery be implemented?
The Certificate of Initial Mastery will be phased in over four years. The first Certificates of Initial Mastery - to be awarded to qualified students in 1998-99 - will cover only two areas: English and mathematics. Districts must be ready to issue Certificates of Initial Mastery in the following academic areas in the following years:
1998-1999
English, mathematics
1999-2000
English, mathematics, science
2000-2001
English, mathematics, science, social sciences
2001-2002
English, mathematics, science, social sciences, arts
2002-2003 and subsequent years
English, mathematics, science, social sciences, arts, second language
Q When will students be responsible for the new standards?
The standards will be phased in according to this schedule:
* Students in grade 8 in the 1996-97 school year will be expected to achieve standards in English and mathematics at about grade 10 in 1998-99.
* Students in grade 7 in the 1996-97 school year will be expected to achieve standards in English, mathematics and science at about grade 10 in 1999-2000.
* Students in grade 6 in the 1996-97 school year will be expected to achieve standards in English, mathematics, science and the social sciences as sophomores in 2000-2001.
* Students in grade 5 in the 1996-97 school year will be expected to achieve standards in English, mathematics, science, the social sciences and the arts at about grade 10 in 2001-2002.
* Students in grade 4 or younger in the 1996-97 school year will be expected to achieve standards in English, mathematics, science, the social sciences, the arts and a second language at about grade 10 in 2002-2003.
Here is the chart that depicts how the Certificate of Initial Mastery standards will be phased in by grade level.
Q What must students do to earn a Certificate of Initial Mastery when it is fully implemented in 2002-2003?
To earn a Certificate of Initial Mastery, students will:
* Achieve grade 10 state performance standards through state and local assessments in English, mathematics, science and the social sciences (history, civics, geography, economics);
* Achieve district performance standards through local assessments in the arts and a second language; and
* Have opportunities to demonstrate abilities to learn, think, retrieve information, use technology, work effectively as individuals and as individuals in group settings.
Q Given that second language proficiency does not become required for the Certificate of Initial Mastery until 2002-2003, what should schools and districts do now to prepare?
Schools and districts should begin discussing what school year and grade level to begin offering language instruction and what language or languages to offer. Decisions should be based on local needs, desires and resources. To help plan a second language program, you may request a free copy of Developing Second Language in the Elementary Grades and Developing Second Language in the Secondary Grades from Barbara Slimak, Oregon Department of Education, (503) 378-3310 ext. 485 (or e-mail barbara.slimak@state.or.us). Certificate of Advanced Mastery
Q What must students do to earn a Certificate of Advanced Mastery?
Students must:
* Participate in an endorsement area through work-, community- and school-based career learning;
* Achieve grade 12 state performance standards in English, mathematics, science and the social sciences (history, civics, geography and economics);
* Achieve district performance standards in the arts and a second language; and
* Achieve career-related learning standards in personal management, problem solving, teamwork, communication, workplace systems, career development and employment foundations.
Q What are the career-related learning standards?
Career-related learning standards describe basic knowledge and skills students need to succeed after high school in college, at work or in other post-secondary training.
Q What is an endorsement area?
An endorsement area is a broad grouping of related careers. It provides a context for academic study and a focus for career-related learning experiences. Endorsement areas provide a framework to integrate academics, professional technical education and career-related learning experiences, bringing meaning and relevance to learning.
Q What are the six endorsement areas identified by the state?
* Arts and Communications: Related to the humanities and the performing, visual, literary and media arts, including programs such as instrumental and vocal music, architecture, creative writing, film and cinema studies, fine arts, graphic design and production, journalism, second languages, radio and television broadcasting, advertising and public relations.
* Business and Management: Related to the business environment, including programs such as entrepreneurship, sales, marketing, hospitality and tourism, computer/information systems, finance, accounting, personnel, economics and management.
* Health Services: Related to the promotion of health and the treatment of injuries, conditions and disease, including programs such as medicine, dentistry, nursing, therapy and rehabilitation, nutrition, fitness and hygiene.
* Human Resources: Related to economic, political and social systems, including programs such as education, law and legal studies, law enforcement, public administration, child and family services, religion and social services.
* Industrial and Engineering Systems: Related to technologies necessary to design, develop, install, operate or maintain physical systems, including programs such as engineering and related technologies, mechanics and repair, manufacturing technology, precision production and construction.
* Natural Resource Systems: Related to the environment and natural resources, including programs such as agriculture, earth sciences, environmental sciences, fisheries management, forestry, horticulture and wildlife management.
Q What are career-related learning experiences?
Career-related learning experiences connect learning with real applications in the workplace, in the community and on campus in activities replicating the workplace.
Q What role does contextual teaching and curriculum integration play in the Certificate of Advanced Mastery?
Contextual teaching connects academic content with real and practical applications. Contextual teaching and learning answers the questions, "Why do I need to know this?" and "How will I use it?" Curriculum integration brings together academics, professional technical education and career-related learning experiences to complement and reinforce each other. Academic and professional technical teachers link their disciplines and teach in the context of the endorsement areas. These strategies can help students reach high standards by making learning more relevant.
Q How will the Certificate of Advanced Mastery be assessed?
State tests and classroom work samples will be used to assess the academic content standards. State tests will be both multiple choice tests measuring knowledge in the subject area and performance assessments requiring students to analyze, apply knowledge and solve problems. Classroom work samples-for example, projects or technical reports- will require in-depth application in an endorsement area. The career-related learning standards will be assessed locally using state criteria. The Oregon Department of Education will provide assessment models. Local assessments may occur in classrooms, work sites or the community. Certificate of Advanced Mastery assessments currently are being developed.
Q What is the endorsement credential?
The credential is awarded to students who complete in-depth career-related study within an endorsement area. Students may earn both the Certificate of Advanced Mastery and the credential at the same time. The credential is optional for students. The Oregon Department of Education together with colleges, employers and other next-step partners currently are developing the credential.
Q What is the role of career development and guidance in the Certificate of Advanced Mastery?
Career development begins at the elementary level with career awareness activities such as career days and guest speakers and progresses in the middle school to career exploration such as job shadowing. In high school, the focus is greater as students spend more time in career-related learning experiences such as structured work experiences, internships, service learning, mentorships and cooperative work experience. Career guidance helps students make informed decisions about their future education and career goals.
Q How does professional technical education relate to the Certificate of Advanced Mastery?
High school professional technical education programs will play a major role in delivering the Certificate of Advanced Mastery, particularly in the areas of contextual learning, curriculum integration, business partnerships, 2+2 tech prep programs, youth leadership programs, career-related learning experiences and the credential.
Q How does school-to-work relate to the Certificate of Advanced Mastery?
School-to-work and the Certificate of Advanced Mastery share similar goals: to help students achieve high academic standards and prepare for their futures after high school. Schools with school-to-work programs have an existing framework and strategy for implementing the Certificate of Advanced Mastery.
Q Will the Certificate of Advanced Mastery align with admissions standards and program requirements at Oregon community colleges and four-year colleges and universities?
Yes. Representatives from the Oregon Department of Education, community colleges and higher education meet regularly to coordinate the systems.
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