Test results out Wednesday show Oregon students did roughly the same last year, as they did the year before. District or school-level results vary, with some places improving and others falling off a bit.
One consistent trend, statewide, is a persistent achievement gap, between white and minority students.
Jon Isaacs at Portland Public Schools says the key indicator of 3rd grade reading, is showing a problem.
Jon Isaacs: "We are seeing there actual slight growth in the achievement gap, between African American and Latino students and our white kids. So that's an area of concern we're going to have to take a look at, as we consider how to move forward with these numbers."
A year from now, we'll be looking at scores from a new set of more challenging exams, called "Smarter Balanced."
Isaacs, at Portland Public, says the good news is that those tests are better connected to current standards. But no one knows for sure how students will do.
There's an arts school in Beaverton that showed particular success on the old test, taken last year. Rob Manning visited the school to see if that success might carry over, to this year's exams.
The Arts and Communication Magnet Academy is a Beaverton public school you have to apply to get into. Its students are two-thirds white, and one-third ethnic minorities - similar to the state average.
The magnet academy's latest test results show that 87 percent of the Academy's high schoolers passed the writing exam - seven percent more than a year ago.
It might help that their writing classes focus on things they're interested in - like writing plays.
"It's all about writing - but it's writing that they can really get interested in," says school principal Michael Johnson.
In addition to the writing gains, most math and reading scores were up, at his school, too.
Johnson ascribes part of the success to the arts and the thinking behind them.
"It is in that process-driven environment - the feedback is (snap-snap-snap) quick, like that. I think that is a skillset that does translate into their ability to look into something they haven't looked at before - and maybe have a degree of confidence," Johnson says.
Writing and the arts - ok, there's a connection there. But what about science, or math?
Johnson leads the way to where 9th and 10th graders are packed into Brian Bertram's modular classroom, in an algebra class.
Bertram: "I think they're passionate - they're passionate about their art, and they're happy to be here, and it gives them a little more drive."
Johnson: "I think that's right. That their artistic processes translate into problem-solving here."
Bertram: "Would you agree class?"
Johnson: "For extra credit?" (laughing)
10th grader Avery Bacon agrees - that she's more willing to work extra hard, because of what else is offered at school.
"Because we get to know that we get to go and take a film or photography class, or dance in the middle of the day, and I feel like we don't get so clogged up and stressed out about school, because we have those outlets, to just relax," Bacon says.
Walking back from the math portable, Johnson tends to agree with Bacon, but puts it a little differently. He says it helps that school staff understand what students like - and what they don't like.
"They're kids, and sitting down and bubbling in sheets is not their preferred pasttime. So I think we sort of acknowledge that. OK, we know this isn't the way you want to spend the next several hours, but it's a way for you to show yourself, what you're capable of."
Johnson says the whole Beaverton school district has gotten more focused on telling students what they're expected to know - and giving kids extra chances to demonstrate it.
"Kids will not all find success on the same day, in the same class period, in the same hour, - so the opportunity to have some elasticity to that learning cycle is really important."
But students are going to take a new exam, next spring. The Smarter Balanced test is a one-shot, high-stakes affair. How will Johnson's students do on that? Johnson says he doesn't know.
"They only get one chance on that - and um, I think we're all sort of holding our breath."
Many of Johnson's students at the arts academy were part of the Smarter Balanced pilot test, last spring. Results haven't been made public, or even shared with the schools. Johnson says students were a bit frustrated by the unfamiliar format.
"But I'm hoping that at least here - they can draw on those problem-solving skills, take a breath, and analyze what's being asked of them - slow down - and I'm going to be very anxious to see how that works."
Johnson will get some sense of how it's going, when his students start taking the long, demanding tests. Then, final results will come out, about a year from now.
Copyright 2014 Oregon Public Broadcasting