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High schools gain in two tests By DAMIAN MANN While generally lagging behind the state average, most Jackson County high schools posted year-to-year gains in the latest round of assessment results for 10th-grade writing and math. Statewide for the 2000-2001 school year, 79 percent of students met or exceeded the benchmarks for the writing test and 57 percent passed the math problem solving, according to the Oregon Department of Education. This represents an improvement over the 1999-2000 year, in which 77 percent of students passed the writing portion and 45 percent passed the math. Five of the nine Jackson County public high schools fared worse than the state average for the writing portion, and five did worse in math. However, four schools in Jackson County made percentage gains in both subject areas compared to the 1999-2000 school year: Ashland, Butte Falls, Crater and South Medford. Ashland scored a 21 percent jump in math - the biggest single gain of any school in either subject area. At Butte Falls, 100 percent of the students passed the writing test, an 8 percent gain. Rogue River jumped to 92 percent in writing - up 11 percent and the biggest increase in that subject area of any high school. But the percentage of students passing the math test was 44, a 9 percent dip from the prior year. Prospect, which has a statistically small number of students, posted 59 percent on the writing test, a 31 percent drop from last year. Administrators say that comparing the percentage rates each year is somewhat unfair because it reflects a different batch of students. A more accurate picture, they say, is to see if there has been improvement since the students took the assessments in eighth grade. Lynn Eccleston, assistant principal at Eagle Point High School, said the 10th-graders who took the tests scored just a couple of percentage points better than in eighth grade. "Their overall performance was pretty flat," she said. After analyzing the test data, the school determined the students had the most problems with grammar, now referred to as "conventions" in educational circles. David Orr, principal at Rogue River High School, said, "The real measure of these scores is how much is your child improving." Even though the mathematics scores were down this year, they represent an improvement for the students who took the tests. In eighth grade, only 19 percent of these students passed the state standards compared to 44 percent in 10th grade, said Orr. Orr believes improvement is more important than percentage gains. "We're more concerned with the person than the score." Tim Mobley, curriculum director for the Phoenix-Talent School District, said, "You never like to see the numbers dip." The percentage of students passing the writing portion dropped from 80 to 69 percent, while the math percentage increased from 46 to 48 percent. "We will be going back and look at these students and see what kind of growth there's been in these years," he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.