Using Employability Skill Standards and Career-Related Areas of Study

      Policy Rationale and Goals: Since the early 1990s, state-level education reform efforts in Oregon have centered around raising standards for student performance through a state driven system of student skill certification that embraces the notion of "new basics," including raising academic standards and employability skills such as communication and problem-solving. Oregon first introduced major educational change along these lines through legislation in 1991, and then again through revisions to the law passed in 1995:

Oregon expects more of its students. It expects students to master not only the traditional basics--reading, writing, and arithmetic--but also the new basics necessary for success in the next century--advanced mathematics, advanced science and the ability to apply academic knowledge in practical ways. The Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century, passed by the state legislature in 1991, calls on schools to hold students accountable for higher academic standards. Students will demonstrate what they know and can do through complex assignments and periodic tests. Students who achieve the high standards will receive certificates certifying their abilities. (ODE, 1998b, p.1)

      Implementation Strategy: In 1991, the Legislature passed the Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century, a sweeping initiative to reform the state's public education system. As part of this legislation, Oregon adopted certificates of "initial" and "advanced" mastery: the CIM and the CAM. Many of the provisions in the law were modeled after recommendations in the 1990 report of the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), America's Choice! High Skills or Low Wages, warning that schools must raise academic standards for all students for the United States to prosper in an increasingly competitive global economy. The CIM and the CAM were introduced as the state's framework for a standards-based, performance-driven student assessment and certification system. The CIM, awarded at approximately age 16, would be followed by the CAM at around age 18. All standards, including CIM, CAM, and PASS -- the state's new performance based admission standards for the Oregon University System -- are aligned.[1]

      In 1995, "mounting fiscal pressures and opposition from parents" prompted Oregon legislators "to take another look at the state's comprehensive school-reform act--including its pioneering adoption of certificates of mastery." (Sommerfeld, 1995a) In response to criticism from the public that the standards for the certificates were unclear and fears that local diplomas would be replaced by the state CIM and CAM, the Oregon legislature passed another piece of legislation clarifying many of the requirements of the original act, including the option that students seeking a CAM would have access to both college-preparatory classes and vocational and technical training, "something the critics had said the act called into question." (Sommerfeld, 1995b)

      According to Holly Miles, coordinator of Data and Grants Management for the Oregon State Department of Education, the changes in 1995 attempted to address the concerns that the state reforms were driven by business needs, not by parents. The "original legislation did not use `educational' terminology and in 1995, the standards were recast in traditional academic terms (i.e., communication vs. English, computation vs. math) and a new timeline was put in place. Now we are dealing with learning and unlearning the new vs. the old CAM (and CIM)." The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has written the administrative rules for the 1995 legislation, for release in December 1998. Both the CIM and the CAM will be awarded to students based on a system of combined local and state assessments tied to state-adopted standards.

      The CAM builds on the CIM and is focused on the 12th grade benchmarks and career-related learning standards which were adopted by the State Board of Education on December 19, 1996. (Oregon Department of Education, 1998a) The CAM "program components for schools" were approved by the State Board of Education on June 17, 1998. For students to earn a CAM, they must achieve the following:

• Meet state academic content standards through state (English, math, science, and social studies) and local (the arts and second languages) assessments
  
  
• Meet state career-related learning standards through local assessments (personal management, problem-solving, teamwork, communication, workplace systems, career development, and employment foundations)
  
  
• Participate in career-related learning experiences (community-based, work-based, or school-based)

      Schools are required to provide students with contextual learning experiences within an endorsement area. The state has adopted six endorsement areas -- arts & communication, business & management, human resources, health services, industrial & engineering systems, natural resource systems -- but districts can also develop their own.

      The 1995 revisions to the state's reform agenda addressed parental concerns by clarifying that districts could continue to offer a traditional diploma. While districts are mandated to offer the CIM and the CAM, the certificates themselves will be optional. It is Oregon's hope that these policies continue to drive statewide change while continuing to address the concerns of the public. According to Miles, the state intends the CIM to drive higher academic standards and the CAM to drive the adoption of instructional strategies that emphasize contextual learning through the required "endorsement areas," "career-related standards," and "career-related learning experiences."

      Evolution of Strategy: The state's implementation strategy has evolved over time. Oregon is finding that it is critical for its administrative rules to be written so that the needs of all students are met and so that students have the flexibility to switch easily between endorsement areas. According to Miles, the state has spent a great deal of time working on adaptive assessments for special populations and has embraced a collaborative process, which is typical of Oregon. They have involved members of the public, the business community, administrators, and teachers in developing the standards and assessments. The state is also proposing that some schools be considered "incentive schools" to try different models for implementing all aspects of the CAM.

      In 1997, the legislature responded to ODE research that indicated that schools would need more time to implement the CAM and extended the time frame for full implementation to 2004-2005. In addition, the legislation now requires districts to show progress toward CAM implementation each year.

      Most local districts are currently focused on implementing the CIM; however, the state is continuing with its work so that the CAM can be up and running by the time districts are ready to develop the "program components" that must be in place for students to be certified with a CAM.

      Outcomes/Lessons Learned: For Oregon, research conducted in cooperation with local districts has been essential to implementation of the CIM and the CAM. In the summer of 1996, ODE selected 15 small districts to assess the difficulties they would face in implementing CAM endorsement areas. Teams from ODE facilitated a planning process with representative groups from each area, including businesses, parents, teachers, and administrators. These groups were asked what they would need to implement the CAM and what they thought they could offer given the timeline for implementation. The research indicated that districts would need five years to prepare, which was one factor prompting the legislature to change the time frame. In addition, the technical assistance provided by the state teams encouraged several of the local school districts to continue with the planning process without state intervention.

      Though Oregon has been through substantial revisions to the original legislation envisioned in 1991, the changes are integral to the political process and are in direct response to the concerns of the public. ODE is moving forward with implementation with this long-term view in mind. As the first draft of the administrative rules for the CAM go out for public comment, the tradition of openness and close public scrutiny will continue. In preparation for the public hearings, ODE conducted fifteen public information meetings. Following those public hearings, the final rules will be adopted.

Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. (1990) America's choice: High skills or low wages! Rochester, NY: National Center on Education and the Economy.

      Oregon Department of Education (ODE) (1998a). Questions and answers about the Certificate of Advanced Mastery. Available on-line: <http://www.ode.state.or.us/>.

ODE. (1998b). Raising expectations. Available on-line: <http://www.ode.state.or.us/cifs/cimcam.htm>.

Sommerfeld, M. (1995a, March 22). Pioneering reform act under attack in Oregon. Education Week on the WEB. Available on-line: <http://www.edweek.org/ew/1995/26oregon.h14>.

Sommerfeld, M. (1995b, June 14). Oregon lawmakers retain master certificates. Education Week on the WEB. Available on-line: <http://www.edweek.org/ew/1995/38ore.h14>.

[1] Oregon adopted PASS, the Proficiency-based Admission Standard System, which will require students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in six content areas for college admission and PREP, Proficiencies for Entry into Programs, which identifies proficiencies in academic and technical skills necessary for success in community college programs and are aligned with CAM and PASS.