Oregon Resubmits Growth Model Pilot Project Plan

Under the Oregon growth model proposal, the state would allow the use of a growth factor based on the progress of each individual student, as an additional measure in the current AYP calculation.

Susan Castillo, Oregon Superintendant of Public Schools Photo by: Tim King

(SALEM) - State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo has resubmitted Oregon’s revised application to participate in the Growth Model Pilot Project announced by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

Oregon was one of 8 states allowed to resubmit, and if the state is approved, the model would use Oregon’s 2006-07 test data and rate schools on the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report in the fall of 2007. Only two states have been approved, Tennessee and North Carolina, and those two states did not include high schools in their proposal. Oregon’s proposal is comprehensive and covers elementary, middle and high school students.

“Our proposal keeps us moving forward to an accountability system that is better, fairer and more accurate for students, parents, teachers, and schools,” Castillo said. “A growth model will give us better information, and a more accurate measurement system that will help us focus our efforts and resources on the schools and students most in need. I believe a growth model will give us a powerful tool to close our achievement gap, and it will give our educators and policymakers information that is sound, valid and reliable.”

Oregon’s new proposal addresses several areas that were of concern to the US Department of Education in the initial submission:

The model will count growth for each student and calculate a percentage of students meeting growth for each school and district (disaggregated by subgroup), rather than using average growth

The model will not use a confidence interval for growth calculation; a confidence interval is a statistical adjustment for small numbers of tests

The model uses state board adopted performance standards as the basis for growth targets, not targets set through a separate process

The model will use a procedure to include every student with at least 1 valid score -- AYP designations will be made based only on students who have had a full academic year in the current year

The model requires additional performance standards to be set for 9th and 11th grade.

Until a new model is approved by the US Department of Education, Oregon will continue to use the current system of Adequate Yearly Progress, called a status model.

Under the current system, schools must get 50% of all students to state standards in English/language arts and 49% to state standards in math.

These percentages gradually increase to 100% by 2014.