State benchmark testing is facing potential transformations in the Oregon Legislature as lawmakers move to either decrease the scope of or completely eliminate the Certificate of Initial Mastery and Certificate of Advanced Mastery program.
House Bill 2744, a bi-partisan effort by members of the House Education Committee, would modify the CIM implementation so it only applies to math, science and English. Public schools would have the option to expand the program if they chose.
House Bill 2415, on the other hand, would abolish the CIM/CAM program completely and replace it with a testing system graded independently from the Oregon Education Department.
Rep. Pat Farr, R-Eugene, said he wanted to limit the scope of CIM to simplify the benchmark and make it easier for schools to maintain the program. The narrower scope would also comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which singles out English, math and science as priorities for education.
“It’s not to, in any way, degrade the quality of education in the state,” he said.
Rep. Vic Backlund, R-Keizer, said the bill is a compromise between abolishing the program and keeping it intact.
“My goal was to keep Oregon’s high standards and also reduce burden on schools,” he said.
But the Salem lawmakers who are making a push beyond the compromise to annihilate the program say it is expensive, ineffective and a waste of time.
Rep. Randy Miller, R-West Linn, who introduced the bill to abolish the test, said many teachers and students express frustration that CIM/CAM can’t be used for admission purposes after high school.
“We need to invest the money we have for education in a way that will do students some good,” he said. “I don’t think there is any evidence of the effectiveness of CIM/CAM.
“What (higher education schools) care about is what they’ve always cared about — SAT, ACT and GPA.”
In an Oregon Department of Education study released last week, officials concluded that abolishing CIM/CAM would not save the state a significant amount of money because much of the cost lies in small increments of teacher time during school days.
Furthermore, the study concluded CIM/CAM only costs the state $21.6 million — $17 million that is devoted to activities required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act — and the CAM would cost $4.9 million.
CIM and CAM use multiple choice tests, class work samples and career experience to benchmark the proficiency of high school students; however, the Oregon University System does not require the benchmarks for admission.
The CIM will be completely implemented for the 2004-2005 sophomore class with benchmarks in English, math, science, social sciences, art, second languages and physical education. Currently, benchmarks exist for English, math and science.
University Admissions Director Martha Pitts said the University only looks at CIM/CAM assessments as part of an applicant’s comprehensive review. Potential students who fail to meet the requirements for automatic admission undergo the review, which consists of an analysis of grade trends, SAT scores and other factors.
“There are not a lot of circumstances where we use (CIM/CAM),” she said. “It’s not a requirement for admission.”
Members of the public will testify before the House Education Committee this week about both bills.
Contact the senior news reporter
at [email protected].