TDHS boosts test scores

The 2015-16 graduation rate also nudged up again, to 68.3 percent, and the high school saw 100 more students getting As and Bs in 2015-16 than the year prior, thanks to a new trimester schedule.

In all, 75.1 percent of students tested as proficient last year — meaning students tested met or exceeded state standards — up from 58.3 the year before. The state average was 70 percent.

Hispanic students saw an even more dramatic improvement, with 66.7 percent proficient, nearly double the 34 percent the year before.

White students tested at 79.8 percent proficient, up from 71.2 percent the year before.

Significant signs of progress were found throughout grade levels in the state report card for local schools.

While the typical state report card provides overall ratings, they were not included this year

due to the state’s plans to redesign the report.

Test scores in the 2015-16 school year generally went up across the district in the areas tested, which are English language arts, math and science. Science continues to be the weakest spot, as it is statewide, where the average proficiency rate — is just 16 percent or lower. It decreases as students get older.

At the high school, the scores in math were much lower — as they are statewide — but still an improvement over the year before. Overall, 31.6 percent of students were proficient, up from 25.7 percent the year before. The state average is 34.2 percent. Hispanics were at 22.2 percent proficient, double the 11.1 percent posted the year before. Whites had 37.2 percent proficient, up from 32.2 the year before. In science, 5.4 percent of high school students tested proficient, down from 9.7 percent the year before. The state average is 7.5 percent.

North Wasco County School District 21 Superintendent Candy Armstrong said at the elementary grades, signs of improvement included seeing less of the “summer slide,” which is the loss over summer of academic progress. Such losses are measured by tracking where students tested at the end of the last school year, and then seeing where they are at in the beginning of the next school year.

“What we found for the most part, especially at Chenowith — which was really nice — was we didn’t really have that much summer slide and we’re having some pretty good growth from where students start at the beginning of the year,” she said.

At Chenowith last year, second graders were at a second grade plus four months grade level in English language arts, which is listed as a 2.4. They started out in the fall as a 2.2, so they lost a couple months. Third graders ended at a 3.8, but started the next year at a 3.6, for a similar summer slide.

Before, Armstrong said, “We were losing six months or more of growth, so we’re pleased that’s not happening.”

Dry Hollow Elementary has already done winter testing to see how far students have progressed since fall. The tests are a way to see how students will perform on statewide exams. In those winter assessments, Dry Hollow second graders, for example, started at 1.9 grade level and are already up to 2.3 grade level.

“They’re making good progress and the same thing is happening at Colonel Wright,” she said.

Another area the district has struggled in is attendance, particularly kindergarten. The state considers chronic absence to be missing 10 percent of school days.

The state measures how many students at each school are not chronically absent. At Dry Hollow 87 percent were not chronically absent. It was 90 percent at Colonel Wright and 83 percent at Chenowith.

“It’s really important for children to be in school,” Armstrong said. “We’ve got such a short school year in Oregon anyway, it’s important for them to get here and get that academic information.”

On academics, Armstrong said, “All of our elementary schools are doing very well with moving forward with the new English language arts program, which helps greatly.

“An area we need to improve is math, leading into middle school and high school,” she said.

The district has adopted a new math curriculum, and results of it will take time to show in testing scores.

“What we’re seeing is our students are growing academically and our subgroups are moving along, but not at the rate and level we want them to be,” she said. “In particular this year we’re paying attention to the English language learners and we’re paying a lot of attention to attendance district wide and at the high school we’re paying attention to students being on-track to graduate.” Elementary students districtwide improved in English language arts, with 48.6 percent showing proficiency, well above the 38.4 percent recorded in 2014-15. The state target is to have 54.5 percent of students proficient. Elementary students who are English learners also saw significant gains, increasing to 29.2 percent proficient in English language arts, nearly double the 16.1 percent the year before. Hispanic/Latino students went up from 28.3 percent proficient to 36.8 percent proficient, while white students went up from 44.3 percent proficient to 52.8 percent proficient. In math, 39.3 percent of elementary students were proficient, up from 29.8 the year before. Hispanics saw 25 percent meet proficiency standards, up from 15.3 percent the year before. Whites had 46.6 percent proficiency, up from 39.1 percent.

In science, elementary students overall dramatically improved, with 21.5 percent proficient, up from 9.9 percent the year before.

In middle grades, performance dropped overall in English Language arts, with 40.2 percent proficient, down from 46.4 the year before. Hispanics had 26.5 percent proficiency, down from 34 percent. For whites, 50.8 percent were proficient, down from 53.5 the previous year.

In math, middle school students held the line, with 30.5 percent proficient, a bit up from 30.3 the year before. Hispanics had 17.3 percent proficiency, down slightly from 19.6 the year before. Whites were 40.6 percent proficient last year, and 36.6 the year before.

In science middle school students slightly improved from 12 percent proficient to 12.6 percent proficient.