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45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, November 13, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 29, 2004 Pam Torrey�s fifth-graders sign a goodbye card to exchange students on the overhead projector at Central Point Elementary School Wednesday. Their school earned an �exceptional� rating in state report cards released today. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Back to the basics That teaching philosophy earned five Central Point schools an impressive Oregon report card By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune It was obvious to fifth-graders in Pam Torrey’s Central Point Elementary class why their school earned the equivalent of an "A" on this year’s state report card. "We do math every single day!" explained Christina Patton, 11. "We do journals with main characters and setting and stuff," said Kaytlin Hull, 11. "It’s been a lot of hard work," added Torrey, the teacher. "There’s a commitment to really focus on math and reading." Indeed, increased emphasis on fundamental skills likely is behind the Central Point School District’s impressive performance on the annual report released today from the state Department of Education, officials said. Advertisement Of eight district schools, five earned overall marks of "exceptional" or "strong." "What we’ve done is narrowed the focus of our curriculum," said Randy Gravon, district director of education and personnel. "We hear all the time that most schools should be teaching the basics — well, we are." Central Point posted one of the strongest overall showings among nine Jackson County school districts. Of 57 schools, six earned overall rankings of "exceptional," 13 were judged "strong," 32 were deemed "satisfactory" and five were not ranked. One school, Ashland High, initially received a ranking of "low" because of a dispute over data. That was corrected late Wednesday, state and district officials said. A new ranking will be released next week. Overall in Oregon, 549 of the state’s schools fell into the "satisfactory" category, while only 39 schools were rated either "low" or "unacceptable." Of the rest, 337 schools were rated "strong" and 130 schools were rated "exceptional," with 40 more schools earning an "exceptional" rating than did so last year. Throughout Jackson County, most districts were content to maintain the status quo in a year rocked by school-day cuts, budget uncertainty and new federal requirements. "I think we saw some improvements, but overall everybody just held the same," said Phil Long, director of curriculum for the Medford School District. A new alternative school improved the district’s two high schools’ rankings for student behavior, which emphasizes attendance. South Medford High School moved from a ranking of "unsatisfactory" to "low." North Medford High School moved from "low" to "satisfactory." Two Medford elementary schools, Jackson and Jefferson, declined last year, while one, Griffin Creek, improved. "We’re really pleased at what we see in the face of new standards," Long said. The state report cards come this year on the heels of this fall’s new federal government requirements, part of the Bush administration’s "No Child Left Behind Act." Fourteen Jackson County schools did not meet the new federal standards; nearly all received "satisfactory" rankings on the state report. The difference is in the details. The state report cards are a snapshot of a school’s overall performance, while in the federal rating, low testing performance by a single group, like non- English speakers, spells failure for the whole school. Emphasis on testing at state and national levels limits wider options, Gravon said. "It’s great that the kids are doing better on the tests," he said. "But it comes at a cost: Loss of music, loss of the arts. We still have those programs, but overall, we’re narrowing our focus." On the Web: http://reportcard.ode.state.or.us/ Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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