State assessments released
Phoenix High 11th graders test better than state average in math, science
October 7, 2024
PHOENIX – Phoenix High’s junior class tested better than the state average in English language arts and science thanks in part to a five-point PHS jump in ELA scores from the year prior, according to state assessments for the 2023-24 school year released Thursday by the Oregon Department of Education.
Released every fall, Oregon’s summative tests offer a snapshot of student performance in English language arts, math and science. Students in grades 3 through 8 and 11th graders are tested in ELA and math, while 5th-, 8th-, and 11th-graders are tested in science.
In a data visualization document posted Thursday, the ODE reported that the summative tests are “designed to shine a light where Oregon’s education system is doing well, where Oregon can build from strength, and where more attention is needed in serving the learning needs of all our scholars.”
According to the data, 48.4% of Phoenix High 11th graders met state achievement standards in English language arts and 31.2% did so in science. Both those numbers are better than the state average, as 42.5% of Oregon students met achievement standards in ELA and 29.3% in science last year. In math, 18.7% of the students in the Phoenix-Talent School District met state standards, led by PTS 3rd-graders (31.6%), who tested slightly higher than the state average.
PTS Superintendent Brent Barry said the challenge of lifting those numbers to pre-pandemic levels is huge, but indicated in a letter to staff Friday that the district is laser focused on meeting the goals outlined in its strategic plan.
“I believe wholeheartedly that with the tools and people we have in place,” Barry wrote, “we are positioned to make significant improvements. You know as well as I do that the challenges we face are many, but we have a firm foundation on which to build.”
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