2026 State Test Score Results Data Series
The 2026 State Test Score Results Data Series is published by the Education Data Center and is designed to provide updates on 2026 state assessment data.
What to expect: Our goal is to provide high-level insights on ELA and math state summative assessment outcomes for students in grades 3-8. We will publish overviews as State Education Agencies (SEAs) publicly release assessment results and/or as we receive aggregate results via public records requests.
For additional information about each state assessment, please see the end of this post. All available 2026 assessment data used for this data series will be published by the EDC in December.
Questions, comments, or suggestions? Let us know at info@eddatacenter.org!
Trends Over Time
Yesterday (Sep 24), the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) released the 2026 results from the state’s standardized Smarter Balanced assessment for Grades 3-8 and 11; our results below pertain to grades 3-8 only. ODE has administered the Smarter Balanced assessment since 2015, with a caveat: in 2021, ODE received a federal waiver to administer the ELA assessment to Grades 3, 6, and 7, and the math assessment to Grades 4, 7, and 8.
In 2026, Oregon students improved overall proficiency in both ELA and math, with greater gains in math. Neither subject has returned to pre-pandemic proficiency rates. In math, despite nearly identical scores between boys and girls in 2015, boys now outperform girls by 5.2 percentage points in 2026, the widest gap over the past decade. Oregon’s three largest districts saw gains in both ELA and math: Portland (from 57.5% to 58.5% in ELA; 50.5% to 52.1% in math), Salem-Keizer (32.3% to 34.2% in ELA; 22.6% to 25.5% in math), and Beaverton (53.1% to 53.7% in ELA; 44.7% to 45.3% in math). However, some districts declined in both subjects, including some of the state’s most high-performing districts, such as Lake Oswego (-1.7pp in ELA, -0.8pp in math), West Linn-Wilsonville (-0.3pp ELA, -1.2pp math), and Sherwood (-2.5pp ELA, -0.2pp math). Statewide participation rates remained below 95% in 2026.
ODE Director Dr. Charlene Williams described the 2026 results as slow but steady:
“We are focused on steady, sustained gains that build over time. And while this year’s results may not feel transformational on their own, sustained improvement year after year can fundamentally change outcomes and the trajectory for our scholars.” (Oregon Capital Chronicle, Sep 24, 2026)
A brief look at outcomes by subject:
ELA: Approximately 43.5% of students in Grades 3-8 reached proficiency on the assessment, up from 42.8% in 2025 (+0.7 percentage points). All but Grade 8 improved this year, with the state’s largest gains in Grade 4 (+1.4pp) and Grade 3 (+1.2pp). Grade 8 had a small dip of -0.1pp; in both ELA and math, Grade 8 is the grade level that is furthest from its pre-pandemic proficiency rates. By race/ethnicity, Hispanic students improved the most (+1.2pp), followed by Black students (+0.8pp). Among districts with reported results for all six grades in both 2025 and 2026, none improved in every grade in ELA, and one, Dallas, declined in every grade.
Math: Approximately 34.2% of students in grades 3-8 reached proficiency in 2026, up from 33.0% in 2025 (+1.2pp). Math has now improved in each of the past four years, though it has not returned to the state’s 2019 rate of 40.4% (trends show small declines in the pre-pandemic era as well). Notably, all grade levels improved in math, led by Grade 4 (+2.0pp) and Grade 7 (+1.9pp). By race/ethnicity, Black students led math gains (+1.6pp). Among districts with reported results for all six grades in both 2025 and 2026, six improved in every grade in math: Portland, Salem-Keizer, Tigard-Tualatin, Central (SD 13J, Independence-Monmouth), Nyssa and South Wasco County.
Subscribers here may be interested in following Christine Toribio Pitts, who writes the Education Policy Hotlist, and who also focuses on Oregon schools in a new Thursday column, For the Love of Learning and Action.
Results by Achievement Level
A Closer Look at 2026
State Assessment Background
Assessment Name: Smarter Balanced Assessment
Additional Information:
General assessment resources can be found here: https://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/assessment/Pages/Statewide-Assessments.aspx
Assessment results are available from the Oregon Department of Education here: https://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/assessment/Pages/Assessment-Group-Reports.aspx
Data presented here are specific to this state’s assessment and are not comparable to assessments administered by other states. For questions, please reach out to info@eddatacenter.org.
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