Mulvihill proposes better ways to measure student success
By Terry Murry on Thursday, December 26th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – The Oregon Department of Education has once again issued the standardized test results for K-12 students in public education. Many educators say they are irrelevant. Why? Because students are allowed to opt out of taking the tests at their parents’ request.
Therefore, student performance is being judged by the progress of only those students who don’t opt out. InterMountain Education Service District Superintendent Mark Mulvihill says there are many other ways a student’s progress can be measured.
“I would like to see local assessments used – the types of assessments that teachers use in the classroom – as a measurement,” Mulvihill said.
He said grades, graduation rates, freshmen on track to graduate, customer satisfaction surveys, and attendance can demonstrate progress. He said there is a place for state testing, but every student must be required to take them.
Mulvihill added that once ODE sets up a system that is more localized, the state needs to stick with it to see how it’s working over the long term.
“Don’t change the measurements,” he said. “Stay the course for multiple years so we can track where we’re doing well and where we’re not. When it’s this constant shift, it’s very hard on the field.”
