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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why did you create Open Books?
A: The Chalkboard Project’s extensive public opinion research has shown that most Oregonians want more detailed information about their schools. The original version of Open Books, which focused exclusively on financial data, was a great start at giving Oregonians some basic facts about school spending. Now, Open Books has streamlined together all kinds of information on K-12 districts: student achievement data, class size, ethnic demographics, graduation rates, teacher experience, and even more financial data than before. Having good solid information that’s accessible in one place means Oregonians have the information they need to make smart decisions about schools.
Q: Where does the data used on the Open Books web site come from?
A: Most of the data comes directly from the Database Initiative (DBI), which contains the annual audited data that districts provide yearly to the Oregon Department of Education. State rankings come from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Demographic data on Open Books comes from U.S. Census Bureau. Information about teachers and school staff is provided by the Oregon Department of Education.
Q: Why aren't you using Oregon Department of Education's (ODE) spending categories?
A: While we are using the same spending data that ODE collects from school districts in their Database Initiative, we have defined our five categories of spending differently. We have organized our categories in such a manner as to give the user the most straightforward and simple approach possible to matching dollars with the services being provided. For example, our "central administration" category includes not just administrators in the superintendent's office but also administrators from the remaining 4 categories so the user can get a sense of the total cost of all administrators working outside of an actual school in the district. We think this provides a more logical and direct approach to tracking spending. We worked with a coalition of partners–including ODE, teachers, administrators and consumer advocates–to agree on the five categories presented in OpenBooks.
Q: Why are your financial figures different than what you see on the ODE web site?
A: The Open Books definition of spending is exactly the same as the definition on ODE's website that is labeled "Spending in All Operating Funds" or "Operating Expenditures". The only difference between Open Books and ODE is the way total operating spending is broken down into categories. ODE uses four categories called "Direct Classroom", "Classroom Support", "Building Support", and "Central Support". Open Books, in an effort to provide information that is easier to understand, uses five categories (Teaching and Student Resources, etc.) Since the data used by Open Books and ODE is exactly the same, total spending reported in both places will be exactly the same – it is simply broken down in different ways.
Q: How did you create the five Open Books financial categories?
A: We organized our categories in such a manner as to give the user the most straightforward and simple approach possible to matching dollars with the services being provided. By working closely with stakeholder partners, and using the Database Initiative and NCES categories as reference points, everyone was able to embrace one way of reporting figures.
Q: How often will the Open Books data be updated?
A: The site will be updated regularly, as each source of information is updated. Most of the sources used by Open Books are updated once a year, but their release schedules vary.
Q. Why were capital expenditures not included in the Spending by Category data?
A. The data we include in Open Books is designed to provide information that is standard and comparable among Oregon districts about their basic operations. Because school district capital construction is supported at the local level, spending on capital projects can vary widely from one school district to another depending on the assessed value in a community and local voter support.
Q: Why are central administration costs below the statewide average in the largest districts - Portland, Salem, Beaverton for example - and what is included in this category?
A: Central administration for Open Books includes staff salaries in the superintendent's office or for other education leaders not located at specific schools. Put simply, this category includes only administrators. We would expect the percentages to be lower in the larger districts because the costs for central administration are spread across an overall larger district budget.
Q. Are benefits included in the average teacher salary figure?
A. No. The average teacher salary figure does not include benefits. The data from the Oregon Department of Education does not disaggregate benefits by type of employee.
Q: Why does Open Books report central administration costs differently than what may be reported elsewhere?
A: Open Books uses its own set of definitions to give the most accurate look at administrative costs. In others' cost reporting, "central administration" might exclude the costs of some administrative staff, such as those overseeing finances and human resources. Our definition of "central administration," however, includes staff salaries of everyone who works in the superintendent's office, and all other district education leaders who aren't based in a school.
Q: How did you decide which districts to compare in the “District Comparison” section of the web site?
A: Each of the districts is compared another according to size. Districts of a similar size are considered "peers" to the school district selected. Users can choose up to two districts for a side-by-side comparison.
Q: Does it cost the district or citizens any money to use Open Books?
A: No. Open Books is a free service, sponsored by the Chalkboard Project, for anyone to use.
Q: Why is the "teaching and student resources" number higher than the "instruction" number that National Center Education Statistics uses?
A: One of the difficulties in explaining and comparing school district spending on “classroom” activities is that there are different and legitimate ways to categorize much of that spending. For example, the Open Books "teaching and student resources" figure includes people and services such as speech pathologists, nurses, truant officers, counselors, and librarians – people who work directly with students. NCES uses vague terminology like 'student support' to describe these services, and does not consider them “classroom” expenditures. We think it makes more sense to combine these services – which are not 'administrative' and also differ from 'infrastructure' services like transportation, building maintenance and cafeteria - with the NCES 'instruction' categories.
Q: Standards & Poors sponsors the “School Matters” web site, which has a similar purpose as “Open Books”. Why didn’t Oregon just adopt its model?
A: We believe a local service is the best approach for Oregon. A more “home grown” effort allows us to work with districts and citizens and provides Oregon with greater control and an ability to be fluid in its creation. By working closely with stakeholder partners, everyone was able to embrace one way of reporting figures. Open Books also provides more recent financial data due to our partnership with ODE.
Q: How come the percentages don’t always equal an even 100%? Sometimes it’s 101.1%, and other times it’s 99.1%?
A: As part of the Open Books development process, we carefully considered decisions about rounding percentage figures. To ensure that all percentages sum to exactly 100% we would have to show figures to several decimal places. As Open Books is designed to be a user-friendly tool for the general public, we didn’t want to complicate the figures by making them too long, so in some cases, due to rounding, percentages may not total exactly 100%. The first phase of Open Books rounded all percentages to whole numbers, but the current version rounds percentages to tenths. This change reflects user feedback that displaying tenths increases accuracy without decreasing usability.
Q: Do the expenditures for buildings in the "Buses, Buildings, and Food" include both classroom and administrative buildings?
A: Yes.
Q: Are the costs for administrative employees who have teaching certificates included in the "Teaching and Student Resources" category?
A: No. Anyone who performs an administrative function in a district - regardless of whether he or she has a teaching certificate - is included in one of the administrative budget categories.
Q: Are all employees in a school district office included in the "Central Administration" category?
A: Not necessarily. We have allocated costs based on the function employees perform. For example, a secretary in the district office who works on transportation issues will be counted in the "Buses, Buildings, and Food" category, or an accountant in the central office will be included in the "Business Services and Technology" category.
Q. What is this new way of measuring progress in schools?
A. Some researchers argue that under No Child Left Behind, the education system is so narrowly focused on how many students cross a certain line as measured by test scores that it misses year-over-year academic growth that students and schools achieve. The result is that schools that the current system rates as “exceptional” do not always demonstrate the kind of year-over-year academic progress that the label implies. At the same time, schools designated as “low” often show impressive growth. Another way of measuring progress is to focus on the progress of individual students and classrooms from one test to another and year over year.
Q. What is the Oregon Parental Information and Resource Center ( OR PIRC)?
A. The Oregon Parental Information and Resource Center provides resources, information, and skills to parents and educators throughout Oregon to more effectively connect families and schools in ways that create successes for all of Oregon’s children and youth. OR PIRC is a part of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL).
Q. What is the NWREL?
A. The Northwest Regional Education Laboratory is a private nonprofit that measures progress in the success of teachers and learners who put our research and training to work. NWREL provides research-based products, technical assistance, and training to improve educational systems and learning. NWREL conducts programs and projects within four Centers of Excellence. Services include classroom teaching and learning; improving schools and districts; school, family, and community; and research, evaluation, and assessment. NWREL’s Parental Information and Resource Center partnered with the Chalkboard Project to provide student achievement data for the expansion of Open Books.
Q. What is NAEP?
A. NAEP, or the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is often called the "Nation's Report Card." It is the only measure of student achievement in the United States where you can compare the performance of students in your state with the performance of students across the nation or in other states. NAEP, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, has been conducted for over 30 years. The results are widely reported by the national and local media.
Q. What is NCES formula for graduation?
A. In the past, Oregon’s graduation rate calculations were based on the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) formula. The federally approved NCES rate was calculated by dividing the number of graduates with a regular diploma that year by the sum of the number of graduates with a regular diploma and the number of students who dropped out that year, grades 9-12.
Q. What is the Cohort Rate for graduation?
A. The cohort model is the new formula required by the federal government to calculate graduation rates. This year’s cohort is made up of the students who first entered high school in 2005-06. The cohort is adjusted for students who move into or out of the system, emigrate to another country, or are deceased. The cohort graduation rate is calculated by taking the number of students in the cohort who graduated with a regular diploma within four years and dividing that by the total number of students in the cohort.
Q. How are school districts funded in Oregon?
A. Most of the operating revenues for the 198 school districts in Oregon come via a state school fund formula based on district enrollment and demographics. Some districts receive additional funding from the federal government to serve special student populations (e.g. students living in poverty). Some districts also receive additional local funding through a local option tax, foundation support, and/or a capital improvement/facility bond.
Q. How were the categories selected for the community data demographic chart?
A. The data within the chart is provided by US Census Bureau. The racial classifications used by the Census Bureau adhere to the guidelines issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OMB requires five minimum categories (White, Black or African America, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander) for race. In addition to these five groups, the OMB also states that respondents should be offered the option of selecting one or more races.
Q. How is academic achievement calculated?
A. The formula for academic achievement:

# of valid test scores meeting standard from students enrolled for a full academic year in the school or district on the 1st school day in May
# of valid test scores from students enrolled for a full academic year in the school or district on the 1st school day in May