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School report cards show more freshmen starting out right Rogue River High School teacher Todd Rose checks homework assignments Friday in his freshman English class. More freshmen are on track to graduate in local schools, according to a state education report card. Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta Monday Oct 24, 2016 at 4:40 PM Oct 25, 2016 at 2:10 PM Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune @teresathomas_MT More local freshmen are starting off on the right foot, according to district report cards released by Oregon Department of Education last week. During the last school year, the percentage of high school freshmen on track to graduate jumped from 71.9 percent in 2014-15 to 83 percent in Medford, from 59.8 percent to 65.7 percent in Eagle Point, from 74.6 percent to 81 percent in Phoenix-Talent and from 61.3 percent to 78 percent in Rogue River. These statistics are just some of the data included in the 2015-16 district and school report cards published by ODE Oct. 13. Last year, at Rogue River Jr./Sr. High School, counselors, staff and administration made an effort to educate incoming freshmen on credits, as well as their post-secondary options. Also, the school received the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant in 2014-15. Under the federal grant program, the school educates low-income families and students on post-secondary options and what it takes to get there, explained the school’s new principal and former assistant principal, Jamie Wright. The grant inspired a shift in school culture and contributed to the increase in the percentage of freshmen on track to graduate, said Wright. Medford credits its more than 11-percentage-point increase in this area, in part, to its freshman academies at North and South high schools, which create smaller learning communities and provide additional support to freshmen, explained Medford’s Chief Academic Officer Michelle Zundel. North and South also offer summer interventions — Tornado and Panther camps — for incoming freshmen who want to get a jump on their high school coursework, Zundel said. Students need to have six credits by the end of their freshman year to be considered on track to graduate, she added. “Our teachers, administrators and counselors follow up every quarter to make sure students are earning credits and providing interventions if they aren’t on track,” she said. As a result, outcomes for all freshmen improved, she said. The percentage of freshmen who were economically disadvantaged and on track to graduate went up nearly 15 percentage points, while the percentage of freshmen who were English Learners or had disabilities and were on track to graduate went up about 17 and 20 percentage points, respectively. “We owe this to the extraordinary hard work of the students, the support of their families and the amazing dedication of our staff using the instructional strategies and interventions that make a difference in the lives of students,” Zundel said. The Eagle Point and Phoenix-Talent school districts saw about a 6-point increase in this area. Eagle Point’s tutoring program, which is offered Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, became very popular last year. And some of its summer school and attendance initiatives also are paying off and “improving the climate and culture at the high school,” said Tiffanie Lambert, Eagle Point’s director of school improvement. Last year, nearly every freshman showed up for Eagle Academy, the soft-start orientation for freshmen, and the high school kicked off its Nation of Eagles Establishing Strong Ties (NEST) program, an advisory period available for all students to build social ties and relationships, she said. Phoenix High School staff met with Talent Middle School staff in the spring to talk about the incoming freshman class and to “identify the stragglers and make sure to connect with them and engage them right away,” said Assistant Principal Jackie Brody. Like Eagle Point, Phoenix High School also offers advisories, giving students the opportunity to build relationships with their teachers and classmates and learn good study habits and other valuable skills, such as how to fill out a job application, Brody said. “When they are building those relationships, it’s all about how to get them engaged in their classes and extracurricular opportunities,” she said, adding that the school has about 45 different clubs and activities for kids to choose from. The high school also improved its Effective Behavioral and Instructional System (EBIS), in which a team of counselors, student managers and administrators meet regularly to evaluate student data and design interventions. The efforts of this team helped to improve the school’s attendance rate. According to its report card, the percentage of students attending at least 90 percent of the school year increased from 66 percent in 2014-15 to 78.5 percent in 2015-16. The school’s attendance team made weekly appointments with chronic nonattenders and tried to help them overcome obstacles preventing them from going to school, Brody said. “We worked with students to get them connected,” she said. “ 'If you don’t enjoy this class, let’s find you a different class. If you need help getting here, let’s find a way to get you here.' ” Last school year, the Phoenix-Talent, Medford, Ashland and Rogue River school districts also managed to reduce the number of expulsions and suspensions. Several of the districts credit this statistic to the implementation of restorative justice practices and their partnership with the Resolve Center for Dispute Resolution and Restorative Justice in Medford. Rogue River High School began piloting the program last year. “We started approaching discipline different, and we started looking at it as an opportunity for teaching instead of punishment," Wright said. “Instead of viewing it as ‘I broke a rule,’ (students) look at it as ‘I’ve harmed a relationship within my community and how am I going to restore that,’ ” Wright said. For example, students who are chronically tardy sit down with their teachers who explain to them how their tardiness impacts them, Wright said. After a Medford student vandalized one of the high schools, he or she was asked to work alongside a maintenance crew to repair the damage caused by his or her actions, said Zundel. “We look at students' behavior and create an opportunity for learning to occur in which they take accountability for their actions, gain empathy for those who were injured by their actions, and determine consequences that restore those relationships and build a bridge back to school and healing,” she said. Roosevelt Elementary was one of the first schools in Medford to adopt restorative practices, but since then, other schools have adopted them and determined their level of participation. “We’re working together to create expectations and consistencies as to what is an expellable or suspendable offense, and what are some natural consequences that would keep kids connected to school,” Zundel said. District and school report cards can be seen at http://www.ode.state.or.us/data/reportcard/reports.aspx. Graduation, completion and dropout rates for 2014-15 will not be available until January. — Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt.