QuickTake:

Springfield made the biggest gains in proficiency and had the highest participation, and Eugene School District 4J had the highest scores, but suffered from low participation, specifically by 11th-grade students. Overall, scores remain significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels.

The Oregon Department of Education released the 2024-25 state assessment scores this week, and the big three Lane County school districts are seeing progress.

While scores remain well below pre-COVID averages, the new 2024-25 test scores released Thursday, Oct. 2, show above-state-average growth in English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency across Eugene School District 4J, Springfield Public Schools and Bethel School District. There were small gains in statewide score averages in all subjects.

Springfield saw the highest overall score gains in ELA, math and science, while 4J’s scores remain the best out of the three districts and above the state average.

School administrators in 4J and Bethel lamented poor participation rates among older students and each district struggled with score declines in specific grades. Fifth graders consistently struggled with score drops across all districts and nearly all subjects. This cohort of students started school in 2019, meaning their kindergarten year was interrupted by the arrival of the COVID pandemic.

Successes and failures

Charlene Williams, director of the Oregon Department of Education, celebrated small statewide gains in all subjects, while acknowledging the mixed results by grade level.

“Although we’re not satisfied with these outcomes, the takeaway is clear: recovery is happening and it will take time,” Williams said in a media webinar this week.

In Springfield, student proficiency in ELA rose by 2% this year compared with last year, but overall ELA proficiency still remains below the state average by 6%. Bethel’s ELA scores went up by 1.7%, but lagged behind the state average by 10.4%. Districts celebrated the gains they saw, however.

“In literacy, our focus on the science of reading, targeted coaching, and consistent professional development is paying off, with gains especially in the early grades,” said Alisha Dodds, community relations and communications director at Bethel School District.

4J saw a drop of 2.8% in science proficiency and Bethel’s science proficiency fell by 0.8%. Kelly McIver, 4J’s director of communications and intergovernmental relations, said the district adopted new math, ELA and science curricula during the past few years and expects these more challenging materials to give students the skills needed to score better on the state assessments.

“Because this curriculum is designed to build skills steadily from the earliest grades, we expect to see benefits starting this year and increasing over time, particularly for students who have had access from kindergarten,” McIver said in a statement. “The new materials are also structured to support greater-than-average gains for student groups that have historically scored below the district average.”

Bethel is also expecting the new curriculum to yield better test results and is already seeing some evidence.

The district’s 8th-grade math teachers made a hard launch of the district’s new middle school math curriculum last year and proficiency jumped by 9.5%. Dodds said the district thinks this is a direct result of the new curriculum and the teachers who were excited to teach math in a new way.

Bethel also recently adopted an elementary science curriculum that integrates reading and science, which helps teachers fit the subject into their schedules.

Participation rates remain low among older Eugene students

Due to Oregonians’ unique ability to opt out of state testing, average participation rates statewide do not comply with federal law, which says states need to test at least 95% of their students.

Both Bethel and 4J had extremely low participation rates in 11th-grade testing, which affected their overall participation rates. In 4J’s 2024-25 testing, 20.6% of 11th graders took the ELA test, while 29.6% took the science test and only 16.3% took the math assessment.

McIver said 4J has the lowest overall participation rates among the 10 biggest school districts in Oregon.

“A culture has developed — especially in the upper grades — where students choose not to take the tests,” McIver said. “This results in lower reported proficiency rates and limits the accuracy of data, while also putting the district’s standing with state accountability requirements at risk. Superintendent Miriam Mickelson is committed to working with staff to better understand and explore options around state testing.”

Springfield, however, has high 11th-grade participation rates, ranging from 88.6%-89.7%.

Brian Richardson, Springfield Public School’s director of communications and community engagement, said the district’s high school director and building leadership make this happen.

“By intentionally engaging students, we help them understand the purpose and value of assessments, how those results connect to their education, and the opportunity assessments provide to demonstrate knowledge,” Richardson said in a statement. “This clarity and support have been key to our participation rates.”

This is the first of several stories looking at the state testing data. In subsequent stories, Lookout Eugene-Springfield will analyze specific challenges and successes in local districts.

A previous version of this story misspelled the first name of Charlene Williams.

Lilly is a graduate of Indiana University and has worked as a journalist at the Indianapolis Star and in Burlington, Vermont, as well as working as a foreign language teacher in France. She covers education and children's issues for Lookout Eugene-Springfield.