Guest Opinion from Superintendent Susan Castillo
On December 9th at the Portland City Club, I announced that I believe it is time to turn the page on CIM and CAM, and I'd like to take this opportunity to discuss what I see on the next page.
The CIM and the CAM are parts of a visionary education reform bill passed by the 1991 Legislature under the leadership of Norma Paulus and Vera Katz, that included state academic standards, rigorous tests for all students, more early childhood education, a longer school year, and professional-technical education for high school students. Once a student mastered these high standards, they would earn these two certificates, in addition to the diploma.
I have received many emails and calls of support and opposition, and I need to clear up some misinterpretation. Am I recommending that we scrap the entire system that schools and teachers have worked hard to implement? Absolutely not.
As Duncan Wyse, one of the members of the State Board said, "We're not junking the car; we're upgrading to a newer model." I am proposing that we trade in the once-shiny 1991 model we've been driving and get a new fuel-efficient model that fits the 21st century!
Here's what I inherited when I took office:
- When enacted, the Legislature didn't fund CIM and CAM
- In nearly every session since 1991, there has been legislation proposed to eliminate the certificates. Last session the proposal was not well thought out and would have done harm to much of the system and it passed the House and was in play in the Senate until the final days of the session.
- After 14 years on the books, only about a third of students have earned the CIM
- No colleges - even our state schools - ask students about the CIM
- Very few businesses ask applicants if they've earned a CIM
- The CAM has been postponed repeatedly. The system has become so controversial and complicated that it is difficult to explain it, and I believe we need more clarity in our high school graduation requirements. I've looked at the CIM and the CAM, and the truth lies somewhere in between the advocates and the opponents. There are parts of the current system that are excellent and work very well for students, and there are other parts of the current system that are not.
Here's what I'd like to see:
- Assessment tests at grades 3-8 and once in high school, probably in 11th grade. The assessment system should including performance assessments, like essays and math story problems. Oregon already has an excellent assessment system in place.
- High expectations and increased graduation requirements. Students should be required to demonstrate mastery of the subject matter through tests and application of knowledge and skills. In order to graduate, every high school senior should meet or exceed the state benchmarks on the Oregon state assessment tests.
- High school students should develop a personalized plan to assist them in choosing classes that will help them work toward further education, rewarding careers and citizenship. I believe that every high school student should complete a senior project to demonstrate that they can apply their education to the real world in their own communities. These are part of the new graduation requirements already in place.
Working with the State Board of Education, the Oregon Legislature and our partners, we can make progress toward all these goals for the 2007 legislative session. I've visited schools all over the state, and I know that many schools and districts have invested time, money and energy into the current system. No one needs to lose any of that excellent progress. I know that most of what we are currently doing works for students, and it's worth keeping. We need to concentrate on the big picture of what Oregon students need in order to be successful in the 21st Century. With a meaningful high school diploma, our students will be better prepared to move forward.
