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ASHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT High school scores among best in state Outstanding Smarter Balanced test scores for third through eighth grade and 11th grade Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Sep. 17, 2015 at 8:17 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Sep. 17, 2015 at 8:17 PM » Social News Last fall, a large group of elementary school parents packed into the Ashland Council Chambers to voice their concerns to the Ashland School Board. They were worried about large class sizes and Smarter Balanced standardized testing. The district dealt with the class-size issue by developing a new priority-based placement system, but there was no way to assuage Smarter Balanced anxiety until the initial test results were released and the data analyzed. It finally was Wednesday, and now Ashland parents and administrators alike, along with students, can breathe a sigh of relief. Ashland fared well in Oregon’s first Smarter Balanced assessment test according to results released by the Oregon Department of Education on Wednesday, besting every other school district in the Rogue Valley in all three subjects measured: English language arts, math and science — and scoring far better than state averages in virtually every grade level and subject measured. The controversial test was rolled out in the spring to third- through eighth-grade and 11th-grade students, rating them on a scale of one to four. Students who scored a three or four are considered on track to graduate from high school and be college- and career-ready. According to the ODE’s results, 76.2 percent of Ashland students scored a three or four in English language arts, 62.5 percent hit that mark in math and 75.6 percent did so in science. State averages were far less rosy: 54.1 percent in English language arts, 40.8 percent in math and 63.5 percent in science. “There has been a lot of conjecture, a lot of concerns about the Common Core and the Smarter Balanced,” Ashland Superintendent Jay Hummel said. “I’ve always believed that higher standards were good and that if we get the testing worked out that this would be a worthy step for public education to take. Secondly, I’m pleased with Ashland’s results. I feel that it is a sum reflection of a lot of hard work by our school system and certainly by our teachers and our community. We have fabulous parents, we’ve got great kids and we also have very hard-working teachers, so I hope that they feel validated for their efforts.” Ashland scored among the best high schools in the state in the new test, ranking seventh in Oregon in math and eighth in English language arts. Ashland ranked 28th overall in science. More than three-quarters of Ashland High 11th graders (81.7 percent) scored a three or four in the English language arts test, roughly 14 percentage points better than the state average (67.2). Ashland 11th graders were 20 percentage points higher than the state average in math, 50.2 percent to 30.5. “Obviously we’re very excited, but not surprised,” Ashland High School interim Principal Erika Bare said. “Our teachers and students have been implementing the Common Core standards over time and it’s nice to have their hard work show in the test scores. But as has always been true at the high school, we don’t teach toward the test. We use solid instruction in making sure that we’re focused on the standards and we’re thrilled that that resulted in some positive (scores).” Pinehurst School District ranked first in the English language arts test with 94.7 percent of its test-takers scoring a three or four, Riverdale School District ranked first in math (84.3 percent) and Black Butte School District was at the top of the list in science (92.9). Ashland School District set the standard for the Rogue Valley, out-testing its nearest Southern Oregon counterparts by no less than 24 percentage points in English language arts, 23 points in math and six points in science. The only subject and grade level combination that did not see a gap between ASD and every other school in the valley was 11th-grade science — 60.5 percent of Ashland 11th-graders scored a three or four in science, a lower mark than both Medford (66.1) and the state average (60.8). “Certainly, science stands out,” Hummel said. “That’s still a strong score, but we’ve known science is a place we need to go district-wide. So immediately, even last night at a school board meeting — we were talking through some of these scores and where we’re at — science will be something we look very hard at. We’ve focused very hard on the other two areas — this district has before I ever came — math and language arts, reading, have really been worked on. I have confidence we’ll turn our attention. Let’s start working on the science areas, starting in the early grade levels.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Sep. 17, 2015 at 8:17 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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