OVERSIGHT BOARD COMMENDS 212 PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR MEETING STANDARDS; REPORTS REVEAL PERFORMANCE GAPS AND HIGH STUDENT LOSS By Janet Johnson Informational Representative, Office of Accountability April 30, 2001   In a release today of the Oklahoma Educational Indicators Program reports, the Education Oversight Board commended 212 schools for successfully reaching the board's 70% Performance Benchmark for standardized testing during the 1999-2000 school year. Several areas of concern for the state's public school system were also cited. To make the list, schools must have 70% or more of their students scoring at least "Satisfactory" in all subject areas of the Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests. These state-mandated tests are administered in fifth and eighth grade and include Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Geography, the Arts, and U.S. History, Constitution and Government. High schools only tested the eleventh grade in Geography and were not included in the benchmarking. The current list of acclaimed schools includes 204 elementary and eight middle school/junior high sites. Ninety of these schools have achieved the benchmark for a third consecutive year. "These schools should be applauded, especially those few that have reached this goal for several years," said Pete Churchwell, Chairman of the Education Oversight Board. "They have proven consistency and excellence in providing a quality education within their respective communities." Robert Buswell, Executive Director of the Office of Accountability, said teachers and administrators need to get 70% of their students to achieve at or above satisfactory levels. "We certainly don't want to diminish the accomplishments of any of these sites," he said. "However, the Education Oversight Board established this benchmark as a very reasonable standard of performance and there are nearly 1,200 public schools in Oklahoma that test in either the fifth or eighth grade." The Education Oversight Board releases information on school performance through the Office of Accountability, Rep. Larry Roberts, board member and Chair of the House Education Committee, explained. Both were created by the Educational Reform Act of 1990 and are required by the Oklahoma Educational Indicators Program to publish comparative information about the state's public schools, he said. Sen. Penny Williams, board member and Chair of the Senate Education Committee, added, "These offices are committed to providing the most comprehensive and accurate information available on the state's public education system. These reports are valuable tools and the Office of Accountability should be commended for its work." Several comparisons in this year's "Profiles 2000 State Report" have board members and Secretary of Education Dr. Floyd Coppedge concerned with student loss and performance gaps at the high school level across ethnic groups. Based on a comparison of fall enrollment during ninth through twelfth grade, the graduating class of 2000 lost thirty to forty percent of all African American and Hispanic students. Coppedge considers these percentages staggering. "We understand that this information is sensitive and that there are many reasons for students being lost to the system," he said, "but this is such a high percentage that you can't simply explain it away. These students are slipping through the cracks and not receiving the education they need to be successful." Performance on the American College Testing (ACT) program is another area of consideration outlined in the "Profiles 2000 State Report." This college-entrance exam is used as one measure of a student's level of academic knowledge. For the 1999-2000 school year, Oklahoma's statewide ACT score of 20.8 was only two-tenths of a standard score behind the national score of 21.0. And when sectioned by race, American Indian and Mexican American students perform well above their national counterparts. "It is encouraging to see that with a high population of Native Americans in Oklahoma, many of them are testing for college and performing well," said Churchwell. The distressing aspect of the ACT scores, however, is that Caucasian and Asian Oklahoma students scored below their national peers and for the last five years, African American students have lagged significantly behind other ethnic groups within the state and the nation. The Oklahoma African American students graduating in 2000 scored an average of 17.1 on the ACT. "While the score is equal to the national average for that ethnic group, it does not meet the minimum score of 19 which is required for admission into most of the state's universities," said Coppedge. "This means that these students must spend additional time and money to participate in remedial classes before enrolling for college-credited coursework." The Office of Accountability produces annual reports at three levels, providing nearly 100 statistics regarding the curriculum, programs, budget, student performance, and community characteristics of Oklahoma's public schools. "The School Report Cards" have information specific to each public school site, including more about the Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests and 70% Performance Benchmark. The "Profiles 2000 District Report" compiles this site-level data to the district level.The "Profiles 2000 State Report" provides a general overview of education within the state and offers many national comparisons. These free reports are available at www.SchoolReportCard.org. The state and district publications are also deposited in most public, military and college libraries across Oklahoma. The report cards are printed and mailed to principals each spring with the request that they add their comments and distribute copies to parents and patrons by the end of the school year. Legislation from the 1999 session made it a requirement for administrators to distribute the information to all parents with students enrolled in their school. For more information about the Oklahoma Educational Indicators Program or "Profiles 2000," contact the Office of Accountability at (405) 522-4578 or visit www.SchoolReportCard.org. (For a listing of schools by county, click here to access the list of "Schools Meeting 70% Performance Benchmark in all Subject Areas Tested for 1999-2000 School Year by Grade.") The Education Oversight Board and Office of Accountability strive to provide the most timely and comprehensive information regarding Oklahoma's public schools. We are proud to be partners with public education and welcome your suggestions and questions regarding these reports. Please contact us at (405) 522-4578 or email contact@ed-stats.state.ok.us.