Policy Background

Oregon is at the forefront of the credit-for-proficiency movement in K12 (Higher education has not demonstrated the same level of innovation).

• Dec. 2002: State Board of Education approved a policy allowing district to award credit based on proficiency. 
• 2004–2006: State Department of Education invested in seven district pilots.
• Jan. 2007: State Board approved a more extensive policy as a part of recommendations for the Oregon Diploma: “A key feature of the future diploma will be wider use of proficiency, ensuring that all students will have the opportunity to choose to earn credit by demonstrating proficiency.”
• April 2009: State Board adopted revisions to the Credit Options OAR 581-022-1131 defining district credit options.  Revisions were affected by information gained from district pilots. 
• 2011: The Oregon Education Investment Board is formed to oversee an effort to build a unified system for investing in and delivering public education from birth to college and career.   
• 2011: HB 2220 and Oregon Administrative Rule 581-022-1670 required districts to report students' proficiencies in all academic content standards to parents annually or more frequently. It requires these assessments to be made separately from a student's behavior. Districts were required to implement these requirements by July 2013. Their systems must:
• Measure a student’s progression becoming proficient in the knowledge and skills of the student’s current grade level.
• Clear show whether the student is making progress toward meeting or exceeding the academic content standards at the student’s current grade level.
•  Be based on the student’s progress toward becoming proficient in a continuum of knowledge and skills.
•  Adopt a grading system that reflect academic proficiency separate from behavior performance. The district identifies what  constitutes behavioral performance and can supplement rather than replace traditional report cards.

(Note that HB2220 asks for student progress on their grade level rather than any set of curricular progression and still may hide the fact that students have significant gaps or are 2 or more grade levels behind.)

• 2012: Students required to demonstrate proficiency in Essential Skills in addition to required number of courses in order to graduate. In addition, grading and assessment policies have been revised to reflect proficiency-based approaches.
• 2012: Oregon Board of Education established revised policies regarding Individual Student Assessment, Recordkeeping, Grading, and Reporting  

Evidence of Improved Achievement, Attainment, or Cost-Effectiveness 

• From Promising Practices in Oregon: 
• Forest Grove HS reached highest level of graduation, 2009 

Networks, Resources and Initiatives

• Performance Assessment Demonstration Sites in collaboration with CCE
• HB 2220 overview presentation
• Teacher Evaluation and Support System Guidebook  
• Oregon Proficiency Project 

• Member, ACHIEVE Competency-based Pathways State Partnership network, 2014

• Innovation Lab Network
• Oregon Department for Education Credit for Proficiency 
• Defining Practice, Informing Policy: Practitioner Networks Voice a Call to Action  
• Proficiency-Based Teaching and Learning in Oregon: An Evolution from State Policy to Practice, Oregon Dept. of Ed., Sept. 2011
• Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium
• Videos
• Hidden Valley Teachers and Students talk about Proficiency Education
• Oregon's Student-Centered Learning Video - Ask Ellie 

Districts and Schools

• Arlington Schools
• Proficiency-based Learning and Teaching, slide presentation, 2011
• Community Charter School background brochure
• Blachly School District is one of three working on West Ed's Student Agency and Assessment project as part of Assessment for Learning
• Beaverton School District
• Health and Science High School (Expeditionary Learning)
• Gresham-Barlow
• Springwater Trail High School (presentation from Proficiency Conference 2013 attached)
•  Jefferson -- Madraas High Schools
• Lincoln County, Taft High School
• Portland Public Schools - considering moving to proficiency-based learning 
• Redmond Proficiency Academy; being replicated in Salem-Keizer
• Sherwood School District
• Albany
• Timber Ridge School, grade 3-8 school in Oregon has been described as "totally proficiency-based" with common grading practices and a proficiency-based report card that is exceeds, meets or not yet proficient across the entire school. Although the Albany Public Schools doesn't mention proficiency-based, Timber Ridge suggests that it is using a "growth mindset" on their home page. They have a clear academic vision that emphasizes transparency and collaboration. Their character education traits include Courage, Honesty/Integrity, Justice, Kindness, Personal Responsibility, Respect, Social Responsibility, Self-Discipline.
• West Albany High School is on the journey to proficiency-based. Since 2008, many academic indicators are improving. For example, SAT composite went from 1503 to 1533. 
• Scappoose High School
• Wilsonville School District
• Arts & Technology High School is an alternative school that is explicitly proficiency-based
• Woodburn’s Academy of International Studies (AIS) 
• Other possible districts are: Oakridge, Medford, and Hidden Valley HS (not confirmed)
• Redmond Proficiency Academy

Higher Education

Oregon created proficiency-based admissions system in 1993.

Blogs

• The Oregon Shuffle - Chris Sturgis, May 2014
• Oregon Gets an A+ for its New Grading Policy - Chris Sturgis, Jan. 2013

In the News

• Proficiency grading targets total mastery, puzzles parents - The World, October 2013.