Friends:

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This is a follow up on our status this session:

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OATAG’s bills

The Governor’s education “accountability” bills

State budget hearings

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THREE TAG BILLS: TWO STILL ALIVE

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SB 934 allows anyone who knows a student to refer them for TAG assessment.

The Oregon Education Association (OEA) expressed concerns that parents might repeatedly refer their children

for fresh assessments if dissatisfied with the results. While we believe this scenario is unlikely, we agreed

to an amendment removing the last eight words of the bill. Our administrative rules will still require Districts to screen students,

and parents retain the right to appeal identification decisions.

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SB 933 is a complex bill designed to provide more coherent information about TAG and better achievement data

for all students. It requires the Oregon Department of Education to create a report card that provides information

on TAG programs. It also seeks to restore reports on student learning gains, which it discontinued during COVID.

Previous reports were difficult to interpret and, unfortunately, incorporated the assumption that high-achieving

students make smaller gains. While the Department has promised an improved reporting system, we have yet to see a draft.

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The Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) and the Oregon School Board Association (OSBA)

opposed this bill, arguing that the reporting requirements are too burdensome. Senator Taylor’s office and

OATAG worked on amendments to streamline the reporting while maintaining the bill’s integrity.

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On March 5, both bills passed the Senate Education Committee.

?SB 933 was referred to the Joint Ways and Means Committee;

SB 934 passed the Senate Chamber on a vote of 27 to 1 and is still waiting for its public hearing

in the House Education Committee.

Representative Courtney Neron, the chair of that committee, sets the hearing schedule.

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House Bill 3420 would have been a game-changer for gifted education in Oregon

but Representative Neron did not schedule a hearing in theHouse Education Committee

by the deadline needed to keep bills alive. We are looking for other ways to find funding.

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THE GOVERNOR’S BILLS

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Governor Kotek sponsored two bills on “accountability” for school districts.?

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They are HB 2009 and SB 141.? The bills were filed as “placeholders” and were subsequently

gutted and stuffed with new language.? As of this week, the relevant language is in the “dash 2”

amendments.? As they seem to be identical, here is a link to the House version:

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I expect that both these bills will pass their respective committees and one of them will

then be considered by the Education Subcommittee of the Joint Ways and Means Committee

as there is a fiscal impact statement attached.

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Although we strongly support increasing accountability, these bills are flawed.?

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Both versions of the Governor’s bills rely on the “focal groups”, called out in the Student Success

Act which omits TAG students, leaving districts unaccountable for ensuring that all students are learning. ?

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Here is the list of “groups” that are included in the bill

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From Senate Bill 141 -2 (the version with the current amendment)

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“(11) ‘Student group’ means the following student groups:

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“(a) Economically disadvantaged students, as determined based on

rules adopted by the State Board of Education;

“(b) Students from racial or ethnic groups that have historically

experienced academic disparities, as determined under rules adopted

by the State Board of Education;

“(c) Students with disabilities;

“(d) Students who are English language learners;

“(e) Students who are foster children, as defined in ORS 30.297;

“(f) Students who are homeless, as determined under rules adopted

by the State Board of Education; and

“(g) Any other student groups that have historically experienced

academic disparities, as determined by the State Board of Education

by rule.

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Note that the State Board of Education has the power to add additional groups to this list.

We are asking them to do just that, and to rescind their declaration that

“Lack of access to programs for academically gifted and high-achieving students does not constitute facing academic disparities.”

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TAG students do experience academic disparities.? Data from the Oregon Department of Education proves

that access to advanced classes depends entirely on where the student lives.?

Overall, rural districts are less likely to provide services, but some rural districts provide a high level

of instruction for –all—their students while some larger districts have completely abandoned their responsibilities.?

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The disparities don’t end with geographical handicaps.

?Oregon students lack access to advanced opportunities whether or not they are members of a group

that is specifically listed in the Student Success Act.? As noted in a report from the Department of Education to the legislature:

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“…equitable access to accelerated learning programs begins … in kindergarten. …

The successful implementation of these early education initiatives has been hampered

by a lack of adequate funding. It is crucial to secure sustainable funding sources to ensure

equitable access to accelerated learning opportunities for all students.”?

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Often access to advanced classes varies among schools within a district and even within each school.

Unfortunately, the lack of data on these students makes it harder to determine which districts and schools are doing a good job.

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We also have other concerns about the bill.

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It creates a series of “尘别迟谤颈肠蝉” of which the most significant is the percentage of eighth grade studentsthat are “proficient” in math.?

Eighth grade is a moment when some students are in algebra and others aren’t, so it is a poor choice of grade level.

Moreover by combining students at all ability levels into a single number, this “metric” makes it impossible to identify

problems or see which groups are making good progress.

Finally, a proficiency score is a single point-in-time measure that fails to show what students have learned during the year.

It does not provide districts with actionable insights into areas that need improvement.

Student growth by ability level is a much more meaningful measure. Growth must be reported by ability level because

high-performing students tend to show lower gains—without this distinction, results can be misinterpreted.

Breaking down progress first by ability level and then by demographic groups would pinpoint where problems

truly lie and suggest targeted solutions.? This is the approach required by SB 933 which is currently waiting in the Ways

and Means committee.

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Finally, the bill calls for an unnamed “entity” commissioned by the Oregon Department of Education to review ALL the Division 22 standards.

These standards include the three rules for TAG students: identification, communication, and services.?

This process is likely to be held behind closed doors without any public engagement process.

We do not need this review.? These standards have already been combed through by a number of groups in the legislature.

In the past, calls to reconsider the Division 22 Standards have served as a cover for efforts to abolish our TAG mandate.

What we really need is an honest effort by the Oregon Department of Education to ensure that districts actually implement these

standards.

The Governor is the head of that Department and she could do this tomorrow.

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STATE BUDGET HEARINGS

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The Joint Ways and Means Committee is continuing statewide hearings on the education budget this month:

please plan to attend and address the need for TAG funding.?

You are more likely to have an opportunity to speak if you come from a smaller community.

Letters and calls to your representatives in the legislature are also very helpful.

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Here are the remaining meetings:

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Warm Springs | Friday, April 4 (5:00pm – 7:00pm)

Old Warm Springs Elementary School

1112 Wasco Street, Warm Springs, OR 97761

Members of the public can register to testify here

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La Grande | Friday, April 11 (5:00pm – 7:00pm)

Eastern Oregon University, Hoke Union Building #339

1 University Boulevard, La Grande, OR 97850

Members of the public can register to testify here

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Salem, Statewide Virtual Testimony Prioritized | Wednesday, April 16 (5:00pm – 7:00pm)

Oregon State Capitol Building, Hearing Room F

900 Court St NE, Salem, OR 97301

Members of the public can register to testify here

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Klamath Falls | Friday, April 25 (5:00pm – 7:00pm)

Klamath Community College, Building 4 Commons

7390 South 6th Street, Klamath Falls, OR 97603

Members of the public can register to testify here

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HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

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Write/call your legislators

Write/call the office of any legislators on a relevant committee

Participate in public hearings with written or verbal testimony

You can find any legislator just by searching their name

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Visit our advocacy page to learn more about how you can make a difference:

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The best way to find out what is going on in the legislature is to check out the committee pages.? You can find the committees’ sites here:

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Each committee section includes the members of the committee, agendas, staff, how to testify, and a list of the “assigned

measures” (bills) that have been sent to the committee.? If you are interested in the status of a particular bill,

click on the bill number.? Be sure to check for the “measure history” and any amendments.

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I have additional advocacy tips including scripts you can adapt for calling/writing your representatives here:

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Thanks for reading!

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Margaret

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