Progress Report
630 Public & Private Schools Graded
Researched by Martha Calhoon
For five years, the Oregon Department of Education, or ODE, has marked the new school year by publishing annual report cards on the state’s schools in the first week of October. But this past fall, the ODE was tardy, failing to deliver its grades until two weeks before Thanksgiving. The reason? It was trying to earn extra credit.
Yes, the state revamped its grading system for the first time since Oregon began publishing report cards in 2000. It now judges schools not just on how well students performed, but on how much they improved. In short, students who showed a significant gain from the previous year—even those whose testing still failed to meet state standards—now boost their school’s overall performance grade. (Previously, a failing student detracted from the school’s overall rating, no matter how much he or she may have improved.) In addition, the ODE scotched its grading system of Exceptional, Strong, Satisfactory, Low, and Unacceptable in favor of three simpler ratings—Outstanding, Satisfactory, and In Need of Improvement—based on such factors as drop-out rates, performance on standardized tests, and overall success in meeting federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards as established under the No Child Left Behind Act. Federal assessments of our schools for the 2008–2009 academic year were also far rosier than they were the previous year. An impressive 70 percent of all Oregon schools met the AYP (including a whopping 89 percent of elementary schools).
If you’re a parent who prefers delving into the nitty-gritty details that lie beyond such sweeping statistics, Portland Monthly has done your homework for you. We’ve read the reports and combed through the data to bring you a comprehensive listing of 630 Portland-area public and private schools. You’ll find an overview in the following pages, and you’ll find a more extensive chart at portlandmonthlymag.com/schools.
Now you can decide for yourself which of the region’s schools are making the grade.
Published: February 2010
Would it be possible to get a copy of the stats that I could send out to people looking to move to Portland?
Marit Brown
Director of Relocation
RE/MAX Equity Group
Marit – I would recommend to anyone thinking of moving to Portland to subscribe to Portland Monthly. That’s what my family and I did, and not did the magazine provide us with all the school and crime stats we needed to narrow our choices to a few neighborhoods, but it got us reconnected with Portland.
Martha,
Were you able to get information to provide a comparison for the International School?
Dear Ms. Calhoon and Portland Monthly Magazine,
I have enjoyed and supported your publication for years and very much look forward to the latest issue each month. Unfortunately, I am writing to express my disappointment in the thouroughness of your research. I am particularly disappointed not to see one of our regions most unique and diverse schools listed anywhere in the magazine (other than the half page ad the school purchased). THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, is the only elementary school in the region to offer full language immersion in Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. The schools culturally diverse faculty embrace and encourage their students in all aspects of education. Students at THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL develop a life-long love of learning and thirst for knowledge that is truely unique. It is also one of the few Schools in the region to offer an IB education. THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, located right here in downtown Portland, deserves recognition. In the future please take greater care when compiling a “comprehensive list of area schools”. To leave out such a special school is to fail those who use your comparisons as a reference for their own child’s education options. I only hope Portland Monthly Magazine recognizes the potential harm the omission could do and works to remedy the mistake in a way suitable for such a special school. You have an opportunity now to not simply add the school under your next months “corrections”, but rather to showcase it as the one-of-a-kind school it is. Thank you, Lucas John Forzley
I was also disappointed to not find the Portland French School in the magazine I bought.
…it would be great to see grades for the private schools that map to those given to the public schools for a better comparison
Is there any information on the rural schools such as St.Helens District?
To: Bart Blasengame in regards to an article from March 2010 about “the right.”
I picked up an edition of the Portland Monthly in my barber shop. I noted while reading Blasengame’s article that he used the term diatribe twice within the first two paragraphs of his article.
In Bart’s “diatribe” in which he denigrates Beck, he does not dispute the accuracy of Beck’s presentations or his facts. Blasengame seems upset simply because Beck is famous and popular. That, and the fact that Beck’s point of view, well researched and accurate, differs from Mr. Blasengame’s.
is it possible to get/create a printable version of the chart?
Thank you for providing this information online. I consistently reference your reports on Portland’s pocket neighborhoods, Portland schools and the best restaurants. Your magazine is so informative, and relevent that I have signed-up all my clients for auto-renewing subscriptions (including those who are interested in moving to Portland, but have not yet made the commitment). Thanks again for the great articles!
Orly Halpern
Neighborhood & Relocation Specialist
John L. Scott Real Estate, Downtown
This was the one issue of your Magazine that I would by each year I loved it, why did you stop doing it please bring it back for 2012