Portland Public Schools also offers a number
of foreign language immersion programs
focused on Mandarin Chinese, Japanese,
Russian and Spanish. These programs, available to all students in the district, immerse
students in the language and culture of each
school’s particular focus, while continuing to
provide quality instruction in various subjects.
PREPARING FOR
POSTSECONDARY PURSUITS
Students in Oregon have access to both the
ACT and SAT—the two exams commonly
accepted by colleges and universities across the
country. For the most part, Oregon’s colleges
and universities accept scores from either exam,
and participation rates among high school
students in the Beaver State are similar for each.
In 2013, the Oregon Department of Educa-
tion reported that 12,857 students took the
ACT exam, with an average composite
score of 21. 5. This was above the national
average score of 20. 5. There were 15 Oregon
students achieving a perfect score of 36 on
the ACT. That same year, 15,718 individ-
uals took the SAT, with Oregon students
outpacing the national counterparts in the
areas of reading, math and writing. In fact,
the state was second in the country in terms
of critical reading scores on the exam.
EXCEPTIONAL HIGHER
EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
The Portland metro area features a number
of postsecondary institutions, the largest of
which is Portland State University, located
downtown. The university, with its unique
urban campus situated on the South Park
Blocks, enrolls more than 28,000 students
and is quickly distinguishing itself as a
top-notch institution of higher learning. U.S
News & World Report has named PSU one
of the nation’s top “up-and-coming” universities three years in a row, recognizing the
school for its service learning and senior
capstone programs, along with the positive
changes it has made related to academics,
student life, facilities and faculty.
Portland State is also well known for its
research in a number of areas—particularly
urban studies and community health. In fact,
researchers at PSU made national headlines
Washington’s Essential Academic
Learning Requirements
To ensure that all Washington public school students, no matter
where they go to school, receive a quality education, statewide
testing is performed by Washington’s Office of Superintendent
of Public Instruction (OSPI). OSPI develops or selects and
administers all state assessments.
One requirement of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act is that states have their assessment programs approved
for technical quality by the U.S. Department of Education.
Washington’s assessment program has received a “Fully
Approved” rating through this process. As required by state
law, OSPI develops the state’s learning standards and oversees
the assessment of the learning standards for state and federal
accountability purposes. Washington’s learning standards are
called Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs),
which define what all students should know and be able to do
at each grade level.
Four learning goals provide the foundation for the development
of all academic learning standards in Washington State:
• Read with comprehension, write effectively, and communi-
cate successfully in a variety of ways and settings and with
a variety of audiences;
• Know and apply the core concepts and principles of
mathematics; social, physical, and life sciences; civics and
history, including different cultures and participation in
representative government; geography; arts; and health
and fitness;
• Think analytically, logically, and creatively, and to integrate
technology literacy and fluency as well as different
experiences and knowledge to form reasoned judgments
and solve problems; and
• Understand the importance of work and finance and how
performance, effort, and decisions directly affect future
career and educational opportunities.
To learn more about state testing, visit www.WAtesting.com.
PreK-5th • intlschool.org
Immersion in Spanish,
Japanese, or Chinese
Inquiry-based International
Baccalaureate method
NOW CELEBRATING 25 YEARS
Comprehensive
Education for Tomorrow’s
Global Citizens
