Document text
SUNNY Temp: 41 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 28, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 8, 2002 Tests show mixed results for schools Medford and Ashland did better than the state average on reading, math By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Jackson County secondary schools continued their struggle to score higher on Oregon assessment tests, while elementary schools generally posted strong gains for 2002. The latest figures released Thursday by the Oregon Department of Education showed how students in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 fared in reading and math. Results were also posted for writing, science and math problem solving in grades 5, 8 and 10. Some districts — notably Medford and Ashland — generally did better than the state average on reading and math at almost all grade levels, while other school systems had mixed results. Almost all the third-graders at three elementary schools — Briscoe, Jacksonville and Evans Valley — met or exceeded the state benchmarks. School officials worry that the strides made in test results could be eroded by budget cuts, which have stripped some schools of 10 percent of their teaching staff. "I think that whenever you change the environment, there has to be a consequence," said Phil Long, curriculum director of Medford schools. He said the potential loss of a critical mass of resources needed by schools — particularly smaller schools — could make it more difficult for students to reach the standards. Reflecting a statewide trend, Jackson County students fared worse on math problem solving this year than last. In fifth grade, 30 out of 37 schools recorded declines; in eighth grade, six of 12 schools dropped in scores; and in 10th grade, four of 12 showed poorer results. Of the 12 Jackson County schools with 10th-graders, eight scored lower than the state average for reading, and seven were lower in math. In eighth-grade reading tests, eight of the 12 schools posted lower marks than the state average; nine schools had lower scores in math. Out of the 37 schools with fifth-graders, 20 met or surpassed the state average in reading tests and in math tests. Out of 37 schools with third-graders, 23 surpassed the state average in reading and 25 in math. White City Elementary, which has 80 percent socioeconomically disadvantaged students, made great strides in boosting the scores of its third-graders, with 98 percent meeting or exceeding the reading benchmark and 85 percent meeting or exceeding the math benchmark. Last year’s percentages were 72 and 65, respectively. Jay Sparks, principal at White City Elementary, credits the improvement to years of aligning the curriculum to the state standards, a new preschool program and the particular strength of the third-grade class. However, he was disappointed with the fifth-grade results, which were lower than last year. "We’re not satisfied, but we’re working at it," he said. Sparks anticipates that test results should continue to show improvement as students get the benefit of years of curriculum that stresses the state standards. Medford schools generally showed scores above the state average in reading and math, though there were some exceptions, including McLoughlin Middle School. Curriculum director Long said that despite the downturn, reading scores at McLoughlin have jumped from 43 percent in 1998 to 53 percent in 2002. Last year’s scores were at 56 percent. Long said both McLoughlin and South Medford have made great strides in improving scores over the years. Long attributes his district’s overall success to many years of focusing more on the state standards, creating such things as a stronger eighth-grade math curriculum. Even so, schools can vary from year to year, he said, even being influenced by something like a bad flu season or other factors. "A Ruch Elementary or a Howard, which are smaller, may show greater fluctuations," he said. Doug Jantzi, curriculum director for the Central Point School District, said some of the test results were mixed. "At Hanby they were saying, ‘Hooray,’ and at Scenic they were saying, ‘What went wrong?’ " he said. Scores at Crater continued to fall below the benchmarks, but had edged up slightly over last year. Jantzi couldn’t attribute the lackluster scores to any particular problem, nor did he think demographics could explain it. "Maybe we’re not spending the amount of time needed to teach students to read for information or read for analysis," he said. One disadvantage his schools suffer from is the lack of computer programs that help prepare students in other districts for the tests. With continual budget cuts, Jantzi doubts whether his district will be able to afford these programs anytime soon. While class sizes have increased because of budget cuts, Jantzi said it is too early to tell if this will have an impact on future scores. At Central Point and Jewett elementary schools, some results were higher, which Jantzi partially attributes to a new procedure in which students can be tested twice and receive the better of the two scores. Jantzi said there is pressure to do well on the tests, particularly because of publicity surrounding the assessments. There will be more pressure on teachers who now have larger class sizes and fewer instructional assistants because of budget cuts, said Jantzi. The district will continue to analyze how to improve scores, he said. "It’s a strategy," said Jantzi. "How do we get our best results. Still, we’re not leaving everything else in the dust in favor of getting the best scores." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S