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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend October 12, 2006 Three county schools earn exceptional marks State report shows majority meeting or exceeding standards By Paris Achen Mail Tribune Most of Jackson County's 57 schools earned satisfactory or better marks on the state's annual school report cards released Wednesday. The ratings conducted by the Oregon Department of Education are meant to give the public a sense of each school's overall performance. Grades include exceptional, strong, satisfactory, low and unacceptable. They are based on the average state assessment scores for the past two years (2004-05 and 2005-06), improvement in assessment scores, attendance at elementary and middle schools and the dropout rate at high schools. Armadillo Technical Institute, an alternative high school in Phoenix serving about 100 pupils, became the county's only school to receive an unacceptable rating. Advertisement "We give students booster activities for reading and other subjects, but we also accept these kids learn differently and aren't the best test-takers," said institute co-director Allii Gilligan. "It's a little demoralizing when kids know the material but take the tests, and it looks like they're not up to snuff when they really are." The institute was not rated last year because more than 40 percent of pupils were new. Twenty-nine schools, or about 51 percent, in the county earned satisfactory grades. Another 19 schools, or about 33 percent, received strong ratings. Three schools, equal to about 5 percent, turned out exceptional marks. Five schools in the county weren't graded this year because they had less than three years of testing data or more than 40 percent of students were new. Jacksonville Elementary in the Medford School District earned an exceptional rating for the eighth consecutive year since the state Legislature passed the state report card law in 1999, despite deep budget cuts in the district in recent years. "Jacksonville enjoys tremendous parent support, and we also have an outstanding staff," said Principal Rick Snyder. "These two things mixed together give us a really terrific school. "Throughout the state, people are having to do increasingly more with less funding, so it isn't just us who has done more with less, but I'm particularly proud of Jacksonville because we've been able to keep up an exceptional rating through these difficult financial times." Hoover Elementary in Medford and Bellview Elementary in Ashland also upheld their exceptional ratings. An improvement in test scores was enough to boost Eagle Point High School from low to satisfactory. "Our goal is to see gains every year in every academic area and student behavior," said Mari Brabbin, Eagle Point High principal. Brabbin said a focus on giving freshmen a smaller learning environment in which they interact with the same group of teachers and peers and staff development had helped to build up scores. Hanby and Scenic, both ranked satisfactory last year, received strong ratings this year. A decline in test scores at Talent Elementary caused its rating to drop from strong to satisfactory. White Mountain Middle School in White City, which wasn't rated last year, received a satisfactory grade. Ashland High saw a slight decline in its test scores, but its rating remained satisfactory. Other schools' scores remained about the same. Statewide, the percentage of schools ranking exceptional rose from 12.9 percent to 13.7 percent. Strong ratings increased from 36.6 percent of schools to 40.5 percent. About 43 percent received a satisfactory grade. More than 2 percent had a low rating, and less than 1 percent were deemed unacceptable. Reach reporter Paris Achen by calling 541-776-4459 or [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Texas Electric Choice Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com