In November of 2022, the Oregon Statewide Report Card revealed shocking data, showing that only 39% of all third grade students were considered proficient in reading and writing. Black, Latino and economically disadvantaged students’ proficiency was as low as 21%.
In response to the statewide drop in scores, Governor Tina Kotek enacted an executive order as well as support for the $140 billion House Bill (HB) 3198, to fund new curriculum and teacher training. The bill was passed by the Oregon House and was signed into law by Kotek on Aug. 1, 2023. Portland families are now left to wonder: What is Portland Public Schools (PPS) doing to carry out this legislation?
In the 1970s, an educator named Lucy Calkins observed an elementary school classroom in England. Inspired by the teaching methods she observed, she developed a new curriculum called Balanced Literacy, which posited that a child’s curiosity could drive their learning. She resolved that if a child could write about what they knew, like the myriad personal narratives students have been asked to compose year
after year, they would then be able to write about anything.
Balanced Literacy quickly became one of the top curriculums used within the American education system. In 2022, data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress revealed that reading and writing test scores were 3% lower than in 2019. Despite the decrease in scores, some Oregon districts, including Beaverton, Sherwood and West Linn-Wilsonville, continue to use these outdated and disproven strategies.
This issue was exacerbated when the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States and students were forced into online learning. “The special education services were really diminished during distance learning, so (my son) wasn’t getting all the services that he
should’ve been getting from public school,” says Risa Leritz, a parent of a child with learning disabilities. Leritz’s son spent his first years of schooling at Alameda Elementary School in Northeast Portland. After the shift to online learning, he was moved to a private Montessori school in an effort to find a better fit for his needs.
These instructional deficiencies came to light with post-pandemic testing, as statewide English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency decreased by almost 11% compared to elementary school students before the pandemic. Some parents with children who were reading below expectations turned to professional tutors. “We were having to hire outside tutors to kind of ‘fill the gap’ and the school was not able to help him really in any way. They gave him a little extra one-on-one support, but there was even less support for learning disabilities than (at) a public school,” said Leritz. “With his tutoring, which is very specific for kids with dyslexia, he was able to read and get basically up to grade level with that one-on-one support.”
Hiring a tutor may seem like an obvious solution, but many parents do not have the financial resources to pay for it. Economically disadvantaged students often can’t receive additional support outside of their teachers, who may not have the time or resources to help
struggling students. Rosa Parks Elementary School, which has the largest population of students in PPS receiving free meals by direct
certification, has only 11% of students at grade level expectations for reading and writing.
Financial restrictions are not the only reason report cards are showing low proficiency scores in ELA. Racial gaps in the public school system have led to almost 80% of Black, Latino and Native American/Native Alaskan students reading and writing at levels far below proficiency in 2022.
In an effort to close racial gaps in PPS, a strategic plan was released by PPS administrators in 2021. The plan included many ideas for students with the hope of creating an inclusive environment and helping more students graduate. Although some of this was implemented, recent data has not shown any significant improvements.
Per information received by Melissa Schachner, the PPS director of English Language Arts and Social Studies, the district has already implemented many of the HB3198’s training and curriculum changes. According to the PPS/Multnomah Education Service District Early Literacy report, PPS is planning on pursuing grant proposals through the bill to obtain additional resources for use beginning in the 2024–2025 school year.
Although these resources will potentially help future students reach grade-level literacy, HB3198 only applies to pre-kindergarten to third grade students. Materials provided by the district state that 75% of students who do not reach proficiency in third grade will never reach proficiency in the future and are consequently far less likely to graduate. This bill does not provide any remedial framework for students in third grade and above that are not reading and writing at grade level, leaving them further behind.
