Rep. Drazan Calls for Accountability Following National Education Report

REPUBLICAN LEADER CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AFTER NATIONAL REPORT SHOWS OREGON STUDENTS FALLING BEHIND
By House Republican Leader Christine Drazan

SALEM, Ore. – A report released Wednesday from The National Assessment for Educational Progress paints a bleak picture of student performance in Oregon schools. The data shows that Oregon’s fourth and eighth graders scored in the bottom half of all states in math and reading proficiency.

“As these test scores show, public schools continue to fail thousands of Oregon students,” said House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby). “We urgently need more options for students and their families to succeed.”

On Wednesday, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Education to support school choice alternatives such as charter schools and private school tuition assistance.

“President Trump’s executive order is a welcome first step here in Oregon,” said Drazan. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Legislature to implement a policy that will get Oregon schools back on the right track,” she concluded.

Nearly half of fourth graders who took the assessment last year scored “below basic” in reading. This is worse than the national average of 41%. In math, about one-third of fourth graders tested “below basic.” This is worse than the national average of 24%. Among eighth graders who tested, 35% scored “below basic” in reading, and 45% scored “below basic” in math.

The report also shows that students who identified as economically disadvantaged scored significantly lower than their peers in reading and in math, and these performance gaps remains relatively unchanged since 1998 and 2000, respectively.