Franklin High School was identified as needing “Targeted School Improvement” in the most recent Accountability Detail Sheets report published by the Oregon Department of Education in October of last year. The State of Oregon through the Oregon Department of Education regularly evaluates all Oregon public high schools with Accountability Detail Sheets based on seven factors: English Language Arts (ELA) Achievement, Mathematics Achievement, Regular Attenders, On Track to English Language Proficiency, Ninth Grade On Track, Four-year Cohort, and Five-year Completers. The Accountability Detail Sheets publish data on school and district performance and improvement according to the accountability model developed in Oregon’s Consolidated State Plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Schools are evaluated on a scale of 1-5 on each of the seven factors and the level of support needed- Targeted, Exited, and Comprehensive- is designated. Franklin, McDaniel, and Roosevelt all were evaluated to need Targeted School Improvement. Understanding why Franklin was listed as such, and what implications it holds for the school, is essential for all those involved in the Franklin Community.
The ESSA requires all states to develop programs based on state and federal school improvement regulations to identify and support schools that are struggling. The Oregon Department of Education is working with school districts and local communities to achieve its goal of 90% of students graduating within four years by 2025. To ensure this goal, the state plans on prioritizing improving attendance, providing a well-rounded education, implementing culturally responsive practices, and “promoting continuous improvement to close opportunity and achievement gaps for historically and currently underserved students,” according to the Oregon Department of Education. Through the program, the state of Oregon and Portland Public Schools hope to develop literacy and math fluency; refine instructional strategies; provide students with skills necessary for success in college and careers; and create a welcoming, safe, and equitable environment for all students.
One way schools are evaluated is on Regular Attenders, or the percentage of the student body which attends more than 90% of their enrolled school days. According to the report, only 57% of Franklin High School students reached this mark in the 2021-2022 school year. This falls below the state average of 64%. Specific data on certain underserved populations is even more concerning. Only 24% of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students, 40% of Hispanic students, 43% of African American Students, 56% of multi-racial students, and 61% of White students attend class regularly, and the only racial group from which students regularly attend class at a rate above 70% is Asian students at 77%. Additionally, a mere 12% of houseless students and 57% of students on free/reduced lunch regularly attend class. Graduation and college attendance data are also tracked. According to the report, 88% of Franklin students who were first-time ninth graders in 2017-18 graduated within four years. This falls above the state average of 81%. Franklin also lands above the state average of students attending college (within 16 months of graduating in 2019-2021) at 66%; the state average is 56%. This is very similar to the national average: According to data from The National Center for Education Statistics, 66.2% of students enrolled in college after graduating high school in 2019.
Schools are evaluated on a scale of 1-5 on academic performance. The Oregon Department of Education has set achievement standards for both mathematics and ELA. For the 2021-2022 school year, Franklin received a two on mathematical proficiency, with only 16.5% of students meeting the Mathematics Achievement Standard of at least 43%, set by the state. Concerningly, Black and Hispanic students’ scores were the least likely to meet the state standard, with both receiving scores of 1. 10.5% of Black and fewer than 5% of Hispanic students met the Mathematics Achievement Standard in the 2021-2022 school year. In ELA, Franklin also struggled, receiving a two for the 2021-2022 school year with only 37.2% of students meeting the ELAAchievement Standard. The state’s goal for both mathematics and ELA is for 80% of students to meet the respective Achievement Standards.
Some of this data may be somewhat unreliable, however. The data on ELA and math achievement both come from a statewide standardized test conducted on the first school day in May. The Accountability Data Sheet reports student participation in this test. For both ELA and math, the goal of the Oregon Department of Education is to achieve 94.5% student participation. According to the report, Franklin students’ participation in the test was lower than the state average. That average is not listed. In 2021-2022 in ELA, 82.3% of students participated, and in math, 65.7% of students participated. Black students participated at the lowest rate, with only 20 students out of the 99 enrolled in the 2021-2022 school year taking both the Math and ELA tests last year. This illustrates a clear flaw in the data and the collection method. If fewer than one in four Black students in the school took both tests last year, then the data this report and evaluation are based on does not come from a complete representation of the Black student body.
Standardized testing in schools has long been critiqued, especially in recent years as an abundance of evidence that it is biased against certain groups has arisen. Standardized testing has its beginnings in eugenics. Carl Brigham was highly influential in the development of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) commissioned by the College Board. In his 1923 book “A Study of American Intelligence,” Brigham expressed his belief that standardized testing demonstrated the superiority of “The Nordic Race” and spoke out about the dangers of “promiscuous intermingling” within the American gene pool. By 1930, Brigham-influenced standardized multiple-choice tests were ingrained in the American education system. According to the National Education Association, standardized tests in schools are and have been “instruments of racism and a biased system.” This information raises questions about whether the data received from the standardized tests used by the Oregon Department of Education accurately reflects the abilities of students.
But what does this evaluation mean? According to the current identification and support system created by the Oregon Department of Education in 2018, schools that are determined to be in need of Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), like Franklin, are then evaluated every year, while schools that are determined to need Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) are evaluated every three years. When the state determines a school needs support, the state, district, and school work together to set up support for that school. This can take multiple forms. Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) coaching is one of these forms. MTSS is a systemic framework designed to respond to the needs of all students through data-based problem-solving. Additionally, staff at schools receiving support would receive equity training and support which would focus on education relating to the “restructuring and dismantling of systems that create the dichotomy of beneficiaries and the oppressed and marginalized,” according to the Oregon Department of Education. This year, Franklin teachers are not receiving specific training related to the Accountability Details Sheet, but are set to in the 2023-2024 school year.
The data begs the question: why are the numbers so low? Franklin Principal Chris Frazier attributes this to the current growing popularity of the notion of “over testing,” stating that “the notion of over testing has led families and students to consider opting out of the test, which further impacts the number, as the sample size of students becomes smaller.” Additionally, he points to the fact that the test does not directly align with the content being taught in some classes. “Students may not recall the information or see the value as their test performance doesn’t have a direct impact on their grades, scholarship opportunities, etc.,” he notes. In response to the question of what is being done to address this issue, Frazier referenced the recent implementation of the Instructional Framework by Portland Public Schools and the new curriculum adoptions for ELA and Math, saying “the hope is that all teachers across the district would implement the curriculum and over time students would have similar educational experiences, as all classroom lessons would support a grade level standards aligned curriculum. While teachers are not asked to teach for the test, the assumption is that the new curriculum will align with standards, concepts and themes that are assessed in the test.” When asked what is specifically being done to support historically underserved Black and Hispanic Franklin students, Frazier stated that district resources will be provided to Franklin to support students and that Franklin teachers will be required to attend professional development opportunities in order to identify ways to offer students support.
