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Click Here 48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, February 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental 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 Email Story to a Friend January 30, 2004 Jacksonville Elementary School sixth-graders Megan Casebier, left, and Kandra Towry respond to a question from teacher Riki Bednar concerning Chinese history. The school has earned an �excellent" rating five years in a row. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Castillo says school’s performance is ‘fabulous’ By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune JACKSONVILLE — State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo announced Thursday that Jacksonville Elementary School was one of only three schools in Oregon to earn a rating of "excellent" on the Oregon School Report Cards for the fifth year in a row. Castillo said the school’s performance was "nothing short of fabulous." The Oregon Legislature passed the school report card law in 1999 to help public schools communicate with parents and their community about student test performance, school improvement, attendance, dropout rates and other trends. Jacksonville fifth-grade teachers Mike Yunkherr and Patty Burdick said accountability is good, but they have qualms about the validity of the current testing and reporting system. "The testing is not kid-friendly," said Yunkherr. "It would be more helpful to students and teachers if it were growth-oriented." Advertisement Yunkherr said the state’s demand for academic accountability should be spread evenly among parents, students and teachers. "We’re only one-third of the puzzle," he said. "I bet if the government offered parents a $1,000 tax rebate if their kid learned, a lot more parents would make sure their kids did their homework. " Burdick, who has taught in California and other districts in Oregon, said socioeconomic factors can play a part in test scores. Kids who come to school hungry, tired or cold do not learn as well — or score as high on state tests. Testing sometimes can give skewed results and even dishearten some students, she said. "It’s very frustrating for some (less fortunate) schools. And the kids take (the test scores) to heart," she said. "They think ‘we blew it’ if they don’t get that ‘excellent’ rating." Rogue River School District Superintendent Charles Hellman said smaller, less affluent districts such as his face a bigger challenge in meeting state requirements — especially in difficult economic times. Evans Valley Elementary School dropped from an overall "strong" rating to a "satisfactory" rating this year. Hellman said he believes teacher cuts and increasing class sizes negatively impacted his district’s test scores. In 2001-2002, most classes had fewer than 30 students. Two grades had fewer than 20. But in 2002-2003, first through fifth grades had 30 or more students in each class. "This could be reflective on the class sizes going up and the difficulty a teacher has in meeting the needs of 30 students compared to 20," he said. Jacksonville Elementary Principal Robert Goerke acknowledged his school may have some socioeconomic advantages over other, smaller districts. Nevertheless, he credits the teachers for the school’s success. "I want my staff to get the credit it deserves," he said. "There is no cash award — no bonuses — for this award. So I want them to see their work is appreciated." Burdick and Yunkherr are quick to praise Goerke’s leadership, saying he knows how to hire and inspire. "He’s put a good group together," said Burdick. Sixth-grader Ben Doll, 11, said the teachers are the best thing about his school. "The teachers take you in ‘one-on-one’ and really get to know you," he said. Yunkherr’s son, Eddy, a second-grader at Jacksonville, seemed to understand his school is a notch above the norm. "The library here is really nice," said the 8-year-old. "And I think the fund-raisers we do help us a lot." His friend Trenton Hoyal, also in the second grade, agreed. "The teachers here really make us learn a lot," he said. "Even Eddy’s dad." Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . 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