Salem-Keizer Public Schools Focuses on High Impact Programs as State Test Results Show Slight Decline

The Oregon Department of Education recently released results from the Oregon Statewide Assessment System’s spring 2024 summative assessments showing a mixture of gains and declines across Salem-Keizer Public Schools.

The Oregon Department of Education Results

The district’s overall averages declined by 0.8 percentage points in English Language Arts following a statewide trend as the state average also declined in ELA. The district declined by 0.2 percentage points in math.

Salem-Keizer and Oregon’s assessment results paint a story of academic stagnation. Salem-Keizer isn’t offering excuses. We are offering accountability and have already taken decisive steps to improve our student outcomes. Our board set clear, measurable and public goals for improvement. We’re improving our ability to track student progress throughout the year. We are prioritizing and investing in programs that work like dual language, career and technical education and early literacy.
Superintendent Andrea Castañeda

The Salem-Keizer School Board of Directors issued a video statement about their commitment to using all available data to prioritize improving student outcomes.

English Language Arts

Fifteen elementary schools had overall growth in ELA scores compared to the previous year.

Schools With Significant Gains in ELA

• Sprague High School is up 14.6 points over the previous year
• Morningside Elementary School is up 8.3 points
• Bush and Forest Ridge elementary schools improved by 6.5 and 6.4 points respectively

Bush, Hoover, and Swegle elementary schools all saw gains in third-grade ELA by more than 10 percentage points. Kalapuya’s third-grade ELA jumped 26 points and Morningside Elementary improved by 34.5 points.

“Our first order of business is understanding and acting on the patterns inside our results,” said Superintendent Castañeda. “We have talented educators. Over the coming months and years, we need to support them better and focus on the work that will have the biggest impact on student learning.”

Mathematics

Eighteen elementary schools had overall growth in math scores compared to the previous year. Five middle schools outperformed the state average in eighth-grade math.

Schools With Significant Gains in Math

• Clear Lake Elementary School is up 8 points
• Swegle Elementary School is up 7.6 points
• Bush, Candalaria, and Forest Ridge elementary schools each improved by at least five points

“We have bright spots and they inspire us and prove that success is possible,” said Superintendent Castañeda. “But moving from ‘bright spot’ to ‘national proof point’ requires us to align our resources — people, time, and money — toward a small number of powerful goals. That is exactly what we are working to do.”

Attendance Matters

Salem-Keizer Public Schools recently launched a school attendance campaign, Attendance Matters, as one strategy to improve regular attendance so students stay engaged with learning and stay caught up in classes.

“There is so much learning that happens in a school day and when students miss out by being absent, this can dramatically impact their success both social-emotionally and academically,” said Deputy Superintendent Olga Cobb. “School attendance habits are formed in the first years of school and we need to reinforce these good habits starting in preschool all the way through senior year.”

School Board Chair Cynthia Richardson stated, “We need to improve how many of our students are in school each day. Strong schools lead to strong communities, and that strength starts with being in school each and every day.”