The Oregon Department of Education released report cards for all Oregon schools and districts last week. The report cards for the Corvallis School District and all schools within the district provide a snapshot of student demographics, performance on state assessments, and specific programs and electives offered at individual schools. The report cards include data from the 2017-18 Smarter Balanced assessments as well as graduation data from 2016-17.
While it still does not give a complete picture of school performance, this year’s district report card reflects design changes to provide a more accessible at-a-glance report. It narrows the scope in some areas, such as showing only 3rd grade reading and 8th grade math achievement, and expands in other areas including the percentage of students on-track to graduate. District and school report cards provide more information about staff composition and demographics.
Middle school math growth is an area where all student groups had average to above average growth. While achievement results may not show these consistent improvements, student growth from year to year is strong. Ninth grade on-track to graduate and on-time graduation rates are also areas for recognition, with 92% of 9th grade students deemed as on-track to graduate. This rate has been tracked for the last five years and has improved in our district each year.
While there is no single overall rating applied to schools or districts, some schools in need of improvement are identified at two levels of support: comprehensive and targeted. Comprehensive supports are indicated for schools that do not show sufficient achievement or growth for the “All Students” group. Targeted supports are indicated for some schools based on individual student group performance. Corvallis School District has no schools identified for comprehensive supports. Wilson Elementary is slated to receive targeted support in order to improve attendance and academic growth for students with disabilities.
District-wide, our students with disabilities showed growth in several areas. There is still a need to focus on improving achievement in order to put them on a trajectory for future success. We are proud of all of our students and staff for their hard work and accomplishments.
District and school report cards give district leaders indicators of student performance and provide a broad view of student data. School data teams continually review group and individual student data looking for patterns and linkages with risk factors that can include attendance, grades, and credits earned. Identifying these patterns ensures that students receive the help they need to be successful in school.
“Over the past year our district has aligned our resource allocation with strategic, targeted investments,” notes Superintendent Ryan Noss. “We align our funds with programs we believe will have the greatest impact on student success, including the adoption of a new elementary reading curriculum with a strong professional development component, and additional high school Career and Technical Education such as computer science and automotive courses providing real-world learning opportunities. We have also emphasized new teacher mentorship so that our new teachers find early success in their classrooms and stay with us for years to come.”
All district and school report cards are available on the district website on the Facts and Figures page.