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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate NEWS NOW Culture of Peace: Celebrating 11 Days for Peace in Ashland ... AHS booster club to meet ... Walker to host community dinner ... Culture of Peace: Celebrating 11 Days for Peace in Ashland ... AHS booster club to meet ... Walker to host community dinner ... EDUCATION Keeping their grades up Ashland School District again ahead of the curve in state assessments Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted Sep. 8, 2016 at 12:01 AM Updated Sep 8, 2016 at 8:31 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted Sep. 8, 2016 at 12:01 AM Updated Sep 8, 2016 at 8:31 PM Superior results --> 2015-16 Oregon State Assessments All grades Percent of students scoring 3 or 4 on a scale of 1-4:                       
... » Read more X Superior results 2015-16 Oregon State Assessments All grades Percent of students scoring 3 or 4 on a scale of 1-4:                                   Oregon  Ashland English Language Arts 55          74.5 Mathematics              42          62.4 Science (OAKS)          63          75.1   (Sept. 9: This chart has been updated to correct the transposition of Oregon and Ashland's scores for the Science test)   » Social News The results from Oregon’s 2015-16 Smarter Balanced testing revealed that Ashland students continue to score better than most of their state-wide counterparts but dipped slightly overall from the previous year in all three subjects measured. According to state assessment testing data released today, 74.5 percent of Ashland students district-wide were on track to graduate and be college-ready in English language arts, 62.4 percent met that standard in mathematics and 75.1 percent scored three or four in the Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (OAKS) science test, results that are anywhere from 12 to 20 percent higher than state averages. The assessment, offered this spring to third- through eighth-grade and 11th-grade students, scores students on a scale of one to four. Students who score three or four are considered on track to graduate from high school and be college- and career-ready; students who score one or two are supposed to receive additional support to help them get back on track. Ashland interim Superintendent Suzanne Cusick said the results show that Ashland’s schools are preparing students well for what’s to come. “My takeaways are that Ashland’s averages at every grade level are better than the state’s averages by anywhere from 11 percentage points to 31 percentage points,” said Cusick, noting that the district did not receive the results until Tuesday afternoon. “It’s always exciting and it’s a tribute to our hard-working teachers, support staff and administrators for working so well with our students. … There’s a lot of data there so I will continue to do more analysis, but I’m pleased at how well Ashland students have done once again.” Statewide, 55 percent of Oregon students scored a three or four in English language arts, 42 percent did so in math and 63 percent in science. Ashland’s district-wide scores were down slightly — by less than a percentage point in two subjects — from its 2014-15 results. In the first year of testing, 76.2 percent of Ashland students scored a three or four in English language arts, 62.5 in mathematics and 75.6 in science. However, Ashland’s 11th graders, the last cohort tested before moving on to colleges or careers, scored better across the board this year: 85.3 percent scored a three or four in English language arts (compared to last year’s 81.7 percent), 53.8 percent scored a three or four in mathematics (50.2 percent last year) and 62.3 percent scored three or four in science (60.5 percent last year). “Our goal is always to prepare our students for either postsecondary education or a quality career, so we’re very pleased when they do so well in 11th grade,” Cusick said. “The other thing I would say is that the way these tests are set up now, they’re not simply multiple choice. They really aim to help measure students’ critical thinking ability and that’s a really important factor with these Smarter Balanced tests as well.” Cusick said Smarter Balanced testing, considered far more rigorous than Oregon’s previous standardized testing model, is a valuable tool. “I think it’s an excellent measure,” she said. “I believe all testing experts would say we want to continue to improve how we measure our students, and we owe it to our taxpaying public to show them that their dollars in public education are being well spent.” Ashland’s largest gains occurred in mathematics at the seventh-, eighth- and 11th-grade levels, with improvements there, in terms of those scoring three or four, ranging from 3.6 to 15 percent. In the most impressive jump, 74.6 percent of Ashland’s seventh graders scored a three or four, up from 59.6 percent the previous year. “We have excellent math teachers,” Cusick said, “but I also think improving math score are a result of students having good teaching all the way along the line and then they get to a certain point where the concepts really mean something to them, and that’s reflected in our scores.” Other notable tidbits from the 2015-16 standardized test scores include: • John Muir School had the best test results overall among the district’s elementary schools, but Helman Elementary proved to be the science king, with a whopping 89.8 percent of its students scoring a three or four on the OAKS test. • Roughly 70 percent of third graders tested at Bellview scored a three or four in mathematics, the best rate among local elementary school classes in that subject. About 67 percent of the fourth graders tested at Walker Elementary also scored a three or four in math, the second-best clip among local elementary schools. • Led by John Muir’s fourth-grade class, which saw 88 percent of its students make the grade, seven local elementary school classes had 71 percent or more of their students score three or four in English language arts. • The state also broke down the results into subgroups that included ethnicity, economically disadvantaged, limited English proficiency and students with disabilities. For the second year in a row Asian-Americans tested the best across the board, with 72 percent scoring a three or four in English language arts, 67 percent scoring three or four in math and 72 percent hitting that mark in science. Also for the second year in a row, white students ranked second in all three categories — 61 percent, 47 percent and 70 percent, respectively. For those students who scored a one or two, Cusick said help is on the way. “We have additional intervention classes for the students who need that help,” she said. “The reports go home to the parents so that the parents are also informed. In some cases we’ll have additional support in the classroom through educational assistance, so in addition to the teacher in the classroom there may be a support staff member who can work with smaller groups of kids to help them with the concepts.” Joe Zavala is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @Joe_Zavala99. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted Sep. 8, 2016 at 12:01 AM Updated Sep 8, 2016 at 8:31 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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